


Desert Skies and City Streets

by MagnetHead, orphan_account



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies), Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, M/M, all of them are part of exhibits, and yes the other UD characters are in it, ashley is a good friend, more ahk/chris fanwork 2k16, this was such a cute idea, we worked all 3 movies into this one work so enjoy it, yes ahk is completely oblivious, yes chris is a night guard, yes he falls for ahk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5377295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnetHead/pseuds/MagnetHead, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Larry retired a few years earlier and needed someone to take over? What if that someone was a broke history lover named Christopher? And what if he fell for a certain Pharaoh?<br/>Quite basically, this is a "If Chris took Larry's place" story. With a lot of adorable relationship shit tossed in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chris gets a job. It's not at all what it had described in the application.

Chris pulled his coat tighter around him as the winter air nipped at his skin, staring up at the seemingly massive museum building. 

"A lot bigger than I remember." He murmured to himself, ascending the grand steps up to the front doors of the building. He could feel his gut wrench around at the thought of this new position at the museum: Night Security Guard. It wasn't a glamorous job by any means, but Chris was a history junkie and a college kid who needed the money. It seemed like a perfect fit when Ashley had given him the push he needed to apply. Now?  He wasn't all too sure. He didn't know what the job would entail or what was to be expected of him; break in's at museums were seemingly unheard of. How much could go on during the night?

A welcoming waft of warm air greeted him as he stepped inside, Chris allowed his gaze to wander over the giant Tyrannosaurus skeleton as the last of the guests began emptying out onto the frozen streets. The last time he'd stepped foot into this place had been during a field trip back in high school. Ashley had to quite literally drag him out of the museum so he wouldn't be left behind before the bus left. He hadn't had the time since to come and visit like he use to.

 

Chris' thoughts were interrupted when a voice broke his daze, and he looked over at an older man in a guard uniform \- probably late 50's - who smiled at him kindly.

"You must be Christopher." The man spoke up first, extending his hand out to the blond who took it heartily.

" Chris, yeah. You must be Larry."

The man in turn nodded.

"That would be me. So, you ready?" The older man's voice filled to the brim with excitement. Yet, it was a tad ominous - or at least Chris thought so. But the blond responded with only mild hesitance in his tone.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm lookin' forward to seeing this place again."

"I'm sure it is too." Larry responded, glancing down at the watch on his wrist. The younger man furrowed his brows at the comment, not sure if he had heard right, but before he could clarify Larry was heading off through the exhibits, calling out over his shoulder, "Alright, let's get you suited up and start the tour. We gotta be quick though, sunset's in about two hours. We're gonna need all the time  we can get ."

* * *

Chris adjusted the new uniform as Larry led him to the Tyrannosaurus skeleton that had first welcomed him when he entered through the museum's doors. "This," Larry spoke up, gesturing up to the prehistoric fossil, "is Rexy. You don't really need to worry too much about him. It's hard for him to disappear from your line of sight. You can almost always figure out where he is."

 

Larry gave Chris a grin at his obvious confusion, his words not making any sense. But before Chris could question what he'd meant, Larry was already moving on down one of the halls.

Even though Chris was younger than the other, he still struggled to keep up with the former night guard's pace. And the more exhibits Larry spoke about, the less he made sense. The way he spoke was as if the exhibits were alive; he told Chris what certain exhibits behaved like, what they enjoyed and what they didn't. All as if they were going to just spring to life. It all just sounded ridiculous, and Chris found that he couldn't get a word in edgewise with how much Larry was saying.

There were hardly any moments throughout the tour where Larry slowed down or stopped moving as he spoke. That was until they reached the "Hall of African Animals." Larry started to explain that, "You should never look the lions in the eye." as they walked through the assortment of taxidermy animalsto the opposite hall, when Larry suddenly came to a halt. He turned on his heels to face Chris, pointing up to the displayed Capuchin monkey that hung from a jungle vine.

"Keep a  _close_  eye on this one. Dexter causes the most trouble just because he knows he can. Do not let that face make you think he's all innocent."

And again, as Chris was opening his mouth to ask just what the hell he meant, Larry was off down the hall once more. Chris' mind was reeling with all of the excess information he was receiving. What did any of this matter to being a night guard?  Not once did Larry mention what to do in case of a burglar or security threat, or any  _real life_  situation he may face at night - just going on about each and every single exhibit and the personalities that Chris was beginning to assume this man had created. At first, Chris believed it was one big joke and continued waiting for the guard's cheeky grin to break into laughter. But he never did.

Now, he was considering just how lonely it may get working at a museum alone for so long; maybe giving these exhibits imaginary lives had helped the older guard pass the time. These thoughts did not help calm Chris' nerves however, as the night wore on. Larry continued through the long hallways of wax figures, passing through a room filled with creepy, faceless civil war soldiers.

The older man paused by a glass exhibit with a young native mannequin within. Chris noticed the little plaque in front of her that read a somewhat familiar name.

"Sack..uh..go..wayuh?" Chris tried sounding out before mentally face palming and correcting himself, "Sacajawea. Right."

He had tried laughing his personal embarrassment off before the guard could, but Larry was still just smiling at the statue of the woman. "Y'know, if you ever need any help, come to her or Teddy. They both saved my ass too many times to count." He chuckled softly.

Chris furrowed his brows again, though he looked back to the exhibit with a strange sinking realization that, despite her waxy appearance, there was an air of life about her. When he turned around, Larry was already heading out of the room and therefore making Chris have to jog to catch up with him for the hundredth time that night.

* * *

Larry didn't slow down his pace again until they had entered the room full of miniature figures - the glass Chris could recall being normally shut closed during the day was now open. Larry must have done that before Chris had arrived, he assumed.

Slowing to a stop at the opening of two specific setups, Larry looked down at the little figurines with some fondness before he spoke up once again, "I, uh, these are interesting characters. Here we got the Romans."

As Larry gestured to the Roman enclosure, Chris leaned forward to get a better look at the figurines before the older man pointed out a specific one. "That's Octavius. He runs the whole show over here. And..." the older man paused, his eyes scanning the exhibit for a moment before he muttered, "Where is he..."

Larry trailed off for a moment, walking around Chris to get a better look at the replica town, peering in close at the miniatures. Then, after a minute, he let out a sigh of relief and pointed to another figure whose skin was darker than the previous, "There he is. Matthew. He's Octavius' second in command. He's in charge when Oct's not around, but Octavius only leaves if Jedidiah convinces him to go exploring. Matthew's always thrilled when that happens, it gives him the chance to mess with Jed's deputy."

Hearing Chris repeat the name "Jedidiah" to himself, Larry patted the blond's shoulder before walking over to the second enclosure: a western set up. Several figures stood around a train, all bent over in positions that suggested they were working on the toy locomotive. Larry reached in to pick up a specific figurine, holding it out more for Chris to see. "This is Jedidiah. He's, uh...he's interesting. He and Michael are always getting into shit." He briefly explained, before setting the figure down beside another who Chris assumed was 'Michael'.

"These two groups keep each other occupied throughout most of the nights. Jed and Octavius normally always have things under control." Larry added, already heading towards another hallway as Chris stood a bit longer at the two exhibits, his head shaking in amusement. What was this guy on?

Chris turned away from the miniatures and followed Larry up the museums' stairs where he was educated on even more of the exhibits. They walked passed the huge display of an Easter Island head, but the only words Larry had to say about it were, "Do you happen to have any gum on you?"

When Chris said that yes, he did, Larry just nodded his head and replied, "He's gonna love you."

When they turned the corner, Chris felt his breath hitch as Larry slowed down in front of what he immediately recognized as an attempt at Egyptian architecture. There was a large stone doorway, hieroglyphics painting it's surface, and Chris presumed it would lead to the "Ancient Egypt" wing. He couldn't help but pick up his pace until he was side by side with the older man, his tone filled with delight as he asked, "We..we're going inside, right?"

Larry had come to a stop by that point, his gaze dancing around the decorated door to the Egyptian wing. A small, amused smile worked it's way onto his lips. "Well, I was going to save Ahk for last, but.." he had started, though without another word he was wandering over to open the doorway, gesturing for Chris to go in first before he was following behind.

Chris had followed the other man, blinking with some surprise as he repeated, "Ahk..?"

Then, as he entered into the hall of the wing, an incredulous grin slowly formed on his face. "Wait...You really mean that Pharaoh Ahkmenrah's sarcophagus is here?" He breathed excitedly, his attention continuously drawn between the glittering artifacts and unnerving Jackal statues that seemed to guard the makeshift tomb.

Larry had replied to the blond's question with, "Yeah, he arrived here about 56 years ago."

The guard's pace had since slowed down to allow Chris to examine the room with a glint of wonder in his eyes, and he couldn't help but guess, "You're familiar with him?"

Chris nodded his head rapidly at Larry's words, moving over to brush his hands over a pillar as he replied, "Of course! My entire sophomore term paper was about him."

"Paper?"

"I'm an Egyptology major. I eat this shit up."

Larry had let out a small chuckle at hearing that, muttering to himself, "Oh, he's definitely gonna love you." as Chris finally laid eyes on the sarcophagus, his legs carrying him straight to it.

"We don't know much about him. Almost all the records from his time were destroyed...like someone wanted him wiped from history entirely." Chris found himself explaining, even frowning a bit at the thought before letting his gaze slip over the intricate designs of the golden coffin. "The questions I have for him..." He sighed, before furrowing his brows as he noticed it wasn't locked up properly. "Isn't this dangerous?" he questioned, shifting where he stood to look back to Larry. The former guard had taken a place a feet or two back, letting Chris fawn over the coffin. Though, at the question, Larry let himself take the steps forward to take a place besides the blond.

"There's a guard here during the day. She makes sure no one messes with the coffin, so it's not that big of a deal. And I really doubt that anyone will manage to get out of this place with an entire mummy, y'know?"

There was a brief moment of silence that settled then, Chris going back to looking over the design of the coffin, before Larry decided to speak up again, "I bet you'd love to talk to the guy, huh?"

Chris let himself smile again at the comment, attention briefly going back to Larry. "Definitely. He was said to be one of the kindest rulers in all of Egypt's history. Believed to have lessened the slaves workload tenfold!" he replied, before adjusting his glasses sheepishly. "Er...Well, that's just what our records say."

Humming, Larry placed a hand on the coffin, before his eyes darted up to the tablet that rested against the wall above. "...I'm sure he'd love to talk to you, too." he said with a small exhale. Larry took the moment to check his watch, a small frown replacing his smile quickly. "We, uh, we should probably finish up the tour. We only have another half hour."

With a nod, Chris followed him out with a last glance at the dead pharaoh's coffin before heading down the stairs after Larry. "So...is there a number for me to contact you if anything goes wrong?"

"If anything goes wrong?" Larry repeated, glancing over his shoulder up to where Chris was, "Well, I sure hope nothing goes wrong. But I'll write my number on the list that's on the front desk. Everything I've explained in written down there, I know it takes a few days to get into the routine of things."

Chris nodded, and soon he found himself standing in front of the 26th president of the United States. "So that's it then..?" The younger man looked over at the other. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Larry was looking up to the wax statue, and at the question, he just shook his head, affectionately patting the neck of the horse the statue was placed upon as he turned to fully face the blond. "You'll figure things out," He looked back up to the statue, before he let out a long sigh. "Well, I'll go write down my number and be on my way. I said goodbye to everyone last night."

Chris nodded and smoothed out his uniform nervously. "This place sure means a lot to you." He noted.

"Yeah, well," Larry replied, walking over to the front desk to write his number down on the list lying against it's counter top, "it's really the best job I've ever had. It's an adventure every night."

When he handed over the list to Chris, he handed over his keys and flashlight as well. "These are yours, now...and trust me. You're going to love this job, kid." he said, his hand moving to give a last pat on Chris' shoulder before he was heading out the front doors, though his movements were still full of hesitance.

Chris watched the older man go and took in a deep breath, clipping the items on his belt, and clutching the papers he turned and faced the museum, the sun's last rays dying behind him as he gazed over the lobby. After glancing over the list and determining them as another joke of Larry's he set them on the information desk of the lobby. _Throw the bone.. hilarious._ He made his way up the stairs and decided to take another look at the Egypt department. He had been itching to take a better look at the tablet - an artifact he had only   been able to read about. Chris walked through the entrance that led to the tomb. He took a moment to appreciate the beautiful sarcophagus again before walking over to the wall with hieroglyphs and studying the golden tablet mounted upon it. The blond pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and tried to read some of the ancient writing, frowning a bit when he found that he was becoming rusty on the language. He was in the middle of trying to translate one of the words when he heard a noise that made him jump. It had echoed throughout the halls and Chris could feel his heart beat a thousand miles per second. Just his luck that something goes wrong the night  _he_  takes over.

 He shakily pulled his flashlight out and crept out of the Pharaoh's room, descending down the stairs to see...

 

Nothing.

The noise  _had_  been two large booms, yet nothing was out of the ordinary - at least not in the lobby. Chris was about to turn away and investigate another room when the gigantic skull of the Tyrannosaurus fossil turned towards him, freezing him in his place. The fossil stayed still for a good minute, it's head still tilted down as if it was looking directly at Chris. Then it's tail shifted, swaying as it took a single step forward from the stand it had been frozen upon only moments ago.

Chris' brain screamed for him to run but his feet were like concrete, rooting him to the floor as the giant carnivore drew closer. He swore that he could hear it's breathing, despite the lack of it's lungs. Chris stared up at the dinosaur with petrified horror until it leaned down and roared, a gust of warm, wet air shooting past him which seemed to jump start Chris' entire body as he nearly fell to the floor trying to scramble away and finally managing to get to his feet and sprint down the hall.

He really didn't get far before stumbling across a group of individuals that had him skidding to a complete halt. There were only five of them. But all five men were dressed head to toe in warrior uniforms. And none of them looked friendly. The man front and center of the group shouted out a phrase that Chris only heard as complete and utter gibberish before they were dashing down the hall at full speed, all five yelling at the top of their lungs and weapons waving above their heads.

 

With a startled shout Chris turned on his heel and ran back down the hall, nearly colliding with a metallic looking man who in turn yelled at him in what was either Spanish or Italian. Chris disregarded him though, too focused on getting away from the screaming pack of men closing in on the space he'd managed to place between himself and them.

As he rounded the corner he felt his ankle roll beneath him and he stumbled to the floor with a loud wheeze of air, feeling his glasses fly off and skid across the linoleum. The group of men quieted and slowed down to a stop when the blond fell to the floor, all of them staring down at the night guard before letting out howls of laughter.

Chris padded the ground desperately, unable to find his lenses until one of the men - the one who had been up front - leaned down and plucked the glasses from where they had landed by his feet. His laughter had died down before the others, though a smile still stuck to his lips as he offered the glasses to the blond. Chris debated in his head whether this was a trick, but in the end decided if they were truly there to kill him they likely would have done so by then.

He shakily reached out and took the glasses carefully, pushing them back on his face, "I, er...thank you?" 

The man just grunted, giving him a sharp nod. Then his smile faltered at the sound of the familiar roar of a prehistoric predator, and Chris was up like a shot, bolting down the hall once more. He stumbled into what he remembered to be the African exhibit, twisting around at the door and slamming the gate closed before doubling over to catch his breath - completely unaware of the wild animals within.

 

 

The beasts all turned to the new arrival, the lions particularly taking the visitor unkindly. The lionesses growled in warning, their ears flattening to their heads. The man jumped at the sound and looked up, his eyes going wide as he took in the pride of lions and other creatures that approached. "Cant catch a damn break..." He muttered under his breath before suddenly remembering what Larry had told him. Ducking his head down to stare at the floor, avoiding eye contact with any of the mammals, Chris began inching over to the opposite door. The lionesses' growls quieted down once Chris looked away, taking his response as a submissive reaction. He was declaring himself not a threat, and they were responding in kind.

Chris had still been tense as all hell, though; he was in a room with lions, so one couldn't really blame him especially when he nearly jumped out of his skin when a small furry animal landed on his shoulder just as he was nearing the exit of the room. Shifting his head to find the small Capuchin monkey Larry had mentioned there, he let out a soft breathy laugh of relief, the small primate chirped into Chris' ear.

"Dexter..?" The night guard questioned softly, and he was rewarded with the Capuchin sitting back on his back legs and clapping. Chris smiled a bit at the behavior - until Dex swiped his glasses right off his face, hopping onto his head and then to a nearby tree. "What the - Dexter!" Chris whirled around to face the monkey, who was now perched on one of the branches, just out of his own reach. "You bring those back. Right now!" Chris rose his voice sternly, to which the the monkey lowered the glasses towards him with a soft - almost apologetic chatter. However, just as Chris was about to grab them Dexter ripped them away again with excited chattering. "You little-" He growled before taking a deep breath. "Come on bro! I need those to see!" Chris groaned as the monkey clapped again before throwing the frames right at his head. He leaned over, rubbing his head where the glasses had made contact and swiped them off the ground, cleaning them with his uniform, muttering, "Smudged them with your little thief hands.."

 

Chris slid his glasses back into place and marched out of the exhibit, shutting the gate behind him with a final huff. He was about to leave when heard soft chirps, sighing he turned again to see Dexter clinging to the gate with a sort of pouting face. Chris stepped closer to the Capuchin and crossed his arms trying to be tough. "What? You wanna get out?" He raised an eyebrow and Dex beckoned to him to which Chris hesitantly complied to. His face was inches from the little monkeys.  Dexter seemed to look him over once before kissing his nose and that was when Chris' heart melted and he opened the gate, allowing Dexter to bound down the hallway Chris had just come from. The blond watched the primate leave with a disbelieving laugh.  _Did that really just happen?_   He shook his head and headed down the hall.

Now, Chris was  _much_  more aware of his surroundings; the numerous figures around him who would smile or nod at him as they passed. It felt like a dream.  This couldn't  _possibly_  be real. Chris heard a multitude of voices as he entered the room that housed the miniatures - all of which were intermingling and talking. The blond slowed his steps, taking note that a good handful of the miniatures were starting to make their way out of the enclosures and onto the floor.  _How_   he didn't see the obvious rope being pulled out in front of him, Chris didn't know. But it was just enough to trip him, and he met the floor for a second time that night. As he let out a pained groan, there was a very weak tap against his forehead, encouraging him to glance up at the figures that had begun to gather around his head.

"Sorry 'bout that," A shaggy haired blond spoke up, "but we weren't sure you'd be able to hear us from all the way up there." 

"Who..."  Chris started, sitting up as he rubbed the side of the head that he had smacked onto the ground. Looking around at the giant mass of people - if that's what they were - that had begun to crowd around, the small blond that spoken up suddenly became familiar. "Jedidiah..?" He questioned in disbelief, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

 

 

"Look at that! Th' kid already knows me!"  The cowboy exclaimed, glancing around the crowd with a bit of pride now in his posture.

"Get off you're high horse, Jed. 'M sure Larry told 'im." A brunet man called out to him, shoving against Jedidiah's shoulder when he got to the other cowboy's side.

"I'm sure Larry told him about all of us."  A  roman spoke up then, removing the helmet from his head to give Chris a short little bow in greeting.

Chris couldn't help but smile a bit. " Oh, yeah. Larry told me about you guys. I'm, uh. I'm Chris." He offered and leaned down a bit to see them better.

"Chris." The roman repeated, placing his helmet back onto his head with a grin as he added, "I am Octavius. And-"

Whatever he'd wanted to say was caught off when the brunet from Jedidah's side spoke up again to interrupt, "I'm Mike. It'll real hard to forget me, seein' as I'm the best lookin' guy in this room."

"Michael, you are the  _only_   person who's ever said that."  An additional voice jumped in, and another roman figure walked into Chris' main line of sight, taking a place beside Octavius.

"I'm the only one that needs to say it. Everyone knows it, Matty. Even you." Mike retorted, to which the new roman - Matt - rolled his eyes.

 

Chris chuckled in amusement. "Larry told me you guys have everything in control here, right?" He questioned, looking around once again and noting that nothing looked all that broken or chaotic considering the amount of figurines that were there.

 

 

"'Course we do," Jedidiah spoke up, "This is our turf. Can't let anything go  wrong here." 

Octavius nodded in agreement with him, "The only ones who have caused trouble recently are those individuals."  He added on, pointing up to the third exhibit. The glass had not been open for them, as it had been with the western and roman enclosures.

"They had attempted to cause some trouble a few days ago," Matt further explained, "Larry calls this their 'time out'. They can be allowed to leave once they've learned to behave."

 

Chris cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Whys that..?" He carefully stood up and made his way to the closed off area without stepping on any of the others and peered in. Inside was a set up of one of the ancient civilizations - either Aztec or Mayan - he wasn't too sure. Upon looking in, he was immediately greeted with little spears smacking against the glass barrier. "Oh. I see."

"I wouldn't worry much." Octavius spoke up again, raising his voice now that Chris was up, hoping it would be able to reach the man's ears. "They can't do much harm in there. And they learn very quickly what they should and should not do. You can let them out in another night or so."

Chris knelt down once the roman began speaking and nodded. "Yeah, alright." He adjusted his glasses again and sighed. "I'm sorry, but do you know where I could find.. Teddy or Sacajawea?" 

"We could-" Matt started, but Mike jumped in again, curious , "Why do you need 'em?"

"Heh.. well,  I'm a bit out of my element. I didn't really get any heads up about all...  _this_." Chris sighed out in response, rubbing his head. "Larry told me to find them if I had any questions."

"Well, in that case," Spoke up a voice, though it came from none of the figurines. It was too loud, too strong to come from any of them. It instead came from the entrance of the hall, and Chris stood in slight awe to see President Roosevelt remove himself from the saddle of his horse. He looked different from the wax figurine Chris had seen the many times he'd come to the museum. So...unbelievably real.

The man made his way to where the blond stood, the figurines moving aside as the President stepped forward and extended his hand for Chris to take.

"I would be glad to be of any help."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris learns of the tablet's power and meets a beautiful man who should be dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so happy lots of you enjoy this story! We hope to keep the updating schedule somewhat frequent, though we cannot give you guys exact dates as to when you can expect chapter updates. But still, thank you all for the kudos'! It means a lot to us!

Although this Theodore Roosevelt was just a replica of the real man, Chris could tell why the original was elected to be president four times. He stood tall when he walked, made himself seem like he was bigger than he truly was, and his entire posture just screamed ' _authority_ '. His personality and character alone drew Chris in; he seemed like a man that people would want to be around and avoid pissing off.

Chris spent half the walk back to the main lobby just gawking at this man, trying to wrap his head around around the fact that, though he was "fake," Theodore Roosevelt that was leading him through the museum. Too busy with staring in awe at the man, Chris really didn't get around to speaking, so it was Teddy who broke their silence: "Didn't you have questions for me?"

Chris was startled from his thoughts when Teddy spoke - loud and thunderous, just as he imagined the original would have sounded. Chris cleared his throat before answering, "Right! Uh..yeah. I just...I don't understand..." He paused as he looked around the lobby, spotting a group of cavemen pass with incoherent yells, before making a wide gesture to the commotion around them, "Any of this. What the hell is going on?"

The president let out a booming laugh and raised a hand to rest on Chris' shoulder. "Lawrence didn't let you know?" He questioned, though after a beat he added, "I'm not that surprised, honestly. He most likely wanted you to experience it all yourself, as he did. I bet you wouldn't have believed him if he'd told you, anyway."

Chris looked again to the lobby, eyes dancing from each wandering exhibit to another; the same ones that he had been taught about not even an hour ago. "Well, looking back on it he was pretty obvious with his hints." Chris replied sheepishly, before turning to Teddy again to question him further, "How does this all even happen? I mean, this is incredible and all but...it just feels like a dream."

Teddy's grin widened at his words. "Well, I promise that you are not dreaming, my boy." He replied, his pace slowing when his eyes landed on a young native woman who was waiting by the lobby's desk, her own gaze on the list Chris had left behind. She didn't take notice of the two men until Teddy raised his voice to announce his presence with, "My lady!"

Sacajawea's eyes lifted then, a smile wide enough to match Teddy's bloomed on her lips as he took the steps necessary to meet the other in an embrace. The two shared a few whispered words before Teddy gestured to Chris, and Sac stepped forward to greet him. "Larry didn't tell us your name, last night. We were only told that we would be getting another guard."

Chris smiled shyly. "It's...it's Chris. My name's Chris. And I'm not sure if you could hear, but I'm sorry for butchering your name earlier."

Sacajawea just smiled wider and shook her head at the apology, explaining, "It's alright, Chris. We are not living during the day. We are only awake and aware in the night." Her attention was momentarily taken away from Chris as Teddy took her hand into his own.

"Christopher was inquiring how this is all possible." He informed her, his voice much softer now compared to how he'd spoken to Chris only moments ago, "I was wondering if you'd like to show him to Ahkmenrah's room? I believe it'd be best if the boy was shown the tablet."

Chris' gaze lifted from where it had been, looking between the couple as their fingers intertwined, perking up a bit at the mention of the ancient artifact. Sac nodded a bit at the offer, looking back to Chris with some amusement. "I believe the Pharaoh should have been the first one you met. But I'd be honored to show you."

Sac took a step away from Teddy, giving the man a loving smile before she gestured for Chris to follow her, heading for the steps. "Come on, then. I'm sure he's awake by now."

Chris faltered in his step as he followed the native woman. "W-Wait, he..Ahkmenrah's awake? As in, he's alive too?"

Chris could barely contain his excitement when Sacajawea nodded in reply, picking up his pace as his mind rushed through all of the questions he could ask the ancient king he had studied for so long. "Oh, man.. We knew the tablet had been recorded to have spiritual qualities. But none of us thought of it weilding power like this." Chris spoke, his voice filled with wonder. Sacajawea just nodded again, the grin she wore faltering along with her pace.

"We..." she started before shaking her head slightly to rephrase, "There were guards before Larry took over. They had kept all of us in our own exhibits. Made sure we were never aware of Ahkmenrah. We think now they were afraid of him," She paused again, her jaw clenching momentarily before continuing, "They made us believe releasing the mummy would bring about his curse. So they kept him trapped. Larry was the first to let him out. So.. just be aware, he may be wary of you. He doesn't take kindly to unfamiliar people and a new guard may be put him on edge. He was very tense last night.."

Chris frowned at the thought, but he looked to Sac with a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind, thank you." And with that he took a step into the tomb, but before he could take another the two Jackal guards moved and threw their spears down in front of him - just inches from his face - effectively blocking his path. He stumbled back in shock, somehow managing to not emit a surprised shout as they turned their heads to stare down at Chris. Once they noticed the native woman at the entrance, however, they slowly removed their weapons and went back to their defensive stance - Sacajawea's presence being enough to deter them from any further action.

Chris tried to control his breathing at the near death experience, looking up at the one of the guardians. Taking in their design, he realized then that they were likely supposed to be Anubis - God of mummification and the afterlife. Fitting. He should have known they would be there to protect their Pharaoh. Sac gave the statues a nod in thanks, though she turned to look at Chris, offering him another gentle smile. "I'll leave you two alone. Be careful, understand? I don't know how he will react to you."

Chris nodded and fixed his uniform a bit before stepping passed the giant beings and entering the dimly lit tomb. Though, once he reached the sarcophagus he found it already open - no ancient mummy in sight. Chris furrowed his brows and noted the pile of rags left unraveled at the side of the coffin, deducing they were likely what held the corpse together during the day. He shuddered a bit at the idea of being bound so tightly and then wake every night stuck in such a suffocatingly small space. Modern coffins were far more spacious than what ancient Egyptian royalty used and he could only imagine how horrible it had been.

Chris fixed his glasses in thought and scanned the room again for any signs of a rotting mummy before fixing his gaze to the golden tablet. It was incredible that it possessed this kind of power. Bringing an entire museum to life is quite a feat.

The tablet had some quality about it, seemingly beckoning for Chris to come closer. The gold was engraved with patterns the blond was quite familiar with. Yet, when he reached forward to run his fingers over the designs he jerked back as an unfamiliar voice echoed throughout the room: "Do not touch my tablet."

Chris whipped around to face the speaker, but stopped short when he was greeted with a young man dressed in golden robes and crown. He couldn't help but blush a bit - this stranger might have been the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Chris stood there dumbly before bringing himself to speak, although his throat was a bit dry and required him to clear it before he could manage out, "I'm sorry. I just, I - um.. sorry."

He winced internally at the stranger's unamused expression. It was then when he took a better look at the man that he realized he was wearing Egyptian attire - generally what royalty had been depicted wearing in the murals found in the pyramids. "You...you must be..I.." Chris stumbled out before immediately bowing, "I apologize, your majesty."  
The Pharaoh looked at man with some surprise; no one in the museum had treated him as royalty, even though that is what he was. It had never bothered him, he enjoyed the unity everyone shared. No one was placed as a more "superior" individual. It was like a family. So Ahkmenrah couldn't help but chuckle softly at the action, taking just a small step towards the other.

"You don't have to do that," He started, though his grin did falter as he took in the man's outfit. "You must be the one who is replacing Larry." He noted.

Chris stood, fixing his classes that drooped down the bridge of his nose. His heart had fluttered at the other's laugh - and he subconsciously decided he wanted to hear it again. Chris shifted nervously under the man's gaze, glancing down at his uniform at the comment before he was looking back up to respond - in hopes he could quell any suspicion the other may have had, "I...yeah. And look, um.. Sacajawea told me about what the other guards did before Larry came. And I have no intention of doing that to any of you! I mean, it looks like Larry left this place in a good place a-and I don't intend to mess that up or anything!"

At the mention of the other guards, Ahkmenrah went stiff and scowled. And though Chris' words did help somewhat, Ahk disregarded him for the moment, brushing past him to walk up to his tablet. Removing it from it's place on the wall, he turned back to Chris, his eyes narrowing in just the slightest, "If you mean what you say, then understand this. This museum is my kingdom. And it may be small, and unusual, but it is mine. And I will protect this place with my life. Do not ever try to place yourself above me."  
Chris quickly nodded at the Pharaoh's words - noticing how close the other held the tablet to himself, before replying, "Yes, of course. And, again, I'm really sorry. You don't need to worry about me, I promise."

The ancient king studied the new guard closely, his tense muscles relaxing some as he let the words sink in. And though he was hesitant to do so, Ahkmenrah allowed his tablet to be placed into Chris' hands - the other had seemed so interested in it before. He trusted no harm to come to the golden piece, and when the blond did handle the item with care - holding it as if it would crumble if he moved it wrong - the Pharaoh allowed himself to relax again. Chris turned the tablet over in his hands, a small grin pulling at the corners of his lips as he looked over the carvings, and Ahkmenrah found himself matching the other's smile.

"..You haven't told me your name, yet." the Egyptian mentioned, after he allowed the moment to pass. Chris looked up at him, and smiled apologetically.

"Oh, right! Sorry! It's Chris." He answered, his attention turning back down to the tablet for a moment before carefully offering it back to Ahkmenrah.

"Chris..." Ahk repeated, as if testing the name out, gratefully taking the tablet back into his arms. "I'm assuming the others already told you mine."

"As if they needed to." Chris breathed, and blushed once more as the Pharaoh gave him a curious stare. "I, well, you're actually the reason why I pursued Egyptology in college. I found a book about you and some other Pharaoh's at the library as a kid, and I just really loved learning about you." The night guard admitted.

Though Chris had tried to clarify, his explanation really only confused the other more. "Egypt..olgy?" He said back, "I am not..familiar with that term."

Then Chris was smiling and gesturing around the room. "I focus my studies on all of this...and you. It's when we study ancient Egyptian culture. The language, religion, architecture, those who existed back then." Chris spoke passionately, happy to be able to discuss his field.

Ahk in turn grew interested at hearing this, his eyes widening with wonder at hearing that not only had his culture grown interesting enough for others to want to spend time learning about it all, but himself as well. "That's...really?" He questioned, "You've studied me?"

"Of course I did! Your reign over Egypt was incredible!" Chris beamed, his eyes lighting up and Ahkmenrah's smile grew wide enough to match Chris' grin.

"That's, um," He tried starting, glancing down to the floor as his mind reeled to come up with proper words to reply with. "I...I don't know what to say," He paused, "Thank you?"

Chris hummed softly and nodded, finally working up the courage to ask the one question he had on his mind, "If you wouldn't mind, Ahkmenrah, do you think I could ask you a couple questions sometime? It would mean a lot, your majesty."

At hearing the term again, Ahkmenrah broke out into a small fit of laughter that had Chris' cheeks and ears heating up. "You really, really do not need to call me that." He insisted once he'd calmed himself down enough, "No one addresses me as a king, here. Just my name. _Just_ Ahkmenrah."

Chris straightened his posture some, nodding understandingly at the order. "Just Ahkmenrah. Right. But," He couldn't help but smile a bit, "is that a yes?"

Ahk hummed a bit at his question then, glancing to his tablet in his arms. Then the Pharaoh shrugged, turning on his heel to place the tablet back onto it's place on the wall. "...It's a maybe." He answered when he turned back to the blond, some teasing evident in his tone, "Get me to like you first."

Chris blinked, the unfamiliar teasing throwing him off a bit, but then he was smirking softly to repeat with a hint of amusement, "Like me? You mean I haven't won you over with my overwhelming confidence and charm?"

That enticed some bit of laughter from the king again as he questioned, "Charm? Who told you that's a skill you have?"

"I'd like to see myself as charming, am I wrong?" Chris grinned and crossed his arms. Ahk was shaking his head as he passed the blond again, to make his way out to the hall.

"I would give it another night before I decide how to answer that question." He called back over his shoulder, "Besides, it takes a lot more than charm to win over a Pharaoh."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you've been dead for 4,000 years, you miss a lot.  
> Ahk learns about the events that had followed the end of his reign, and Chris comes to a conclusion about himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so sorry we've been slow with updates, lately. School and Classes have been rough on us both, so finding the time to edit was difficult. But, to make up for it, we mad sure this chapter was a bit longer! Enjoy!

Chris went home early that next morning with his head reeling. For the rest of the night Chris spent hours either being introduced to the other exhibits or with him trying his damn best to impress Ahkmenrah - who had stayed more off to the side until he had to return to his tomb.

As Chris made his way back through the icy streets of New York and to his shared dorm, he found himself grinning like an idiot. Despite his body being exhausted and probably suffering from some kind of minor concussion from the amount of times he had fallen, none of it bothered him. The night had been like some sort of magical dream.

_The exhibits were alive._

He was still unsure if he fully trusted his memory as he finally reached his dorm and immediately went to crash onto his bed. Though, he found himself fighting off sleep to instead stare up at the ceiling above him as the night's memories played over and over in his head. Yet, all those thoughts continued to drift back to the young Pharaoh.

 _"You'll have to get me to like you first."_ The man's voice echoed in his head. Then, like lighting, an idea struck Chris and he bolted out of his bed, scrambling to his bookshelf. He completely forgot about his sleeping roommate as he began browsing through all of his notes and then searching through his textbooks like a madman, highlighting any information he thought Ahkmenrah might find interesting.

However, his work was interrupted when said notes were suddenly plucked from his grasp. Only then did Chris notice Ashley in front of him, dressed in her pajamas, with one hand on her hip and the other holding the notes up above her head. It was a pointless gesture, really, because when Chris stood he was easily able to tower over her.

But Ashley stood her ground, her lips pressed together in a tight line and her eyes narrowed into a look that Chris recognized as ' _I'm tired, pissed off, and you're the reason_.'  
Chris had no time to defend himself, though, because Ashley was the first to speak up with, "What on Earth are you doing making this much noise at six in the morning?"

Chris had to catch himself from giving her the actual reasoning, dragging on seconds as he tried to think of a good cover; he couldn't lie to Ashley. She'd see right through him.

"Well, my shift was over at six." was what he decided to give her, his eyes flicking to the papers in her hand. When Ashley noticed the small action, she brought the papers down to eye-level with herself, skimming over the words.

"And why did you decide to burst into the living room and start dropping books and papers everywhere? There are people, like me, who actually care about doing well in class. People who have those classes in two hours, like me, and who would like to get as much sleep as possible before having to get through the day. People who will rip someone's head off for waking them up so early, like m-"  
" _You_?" Chris supplied, earning himself the start of a smile that she immediately tried to cover. Which was good. Getting Ashley to smile while in a bad mood meant she wouldn't stay upset for that much longer.

"Clean up your mess." She huffed playfully, handing the papers back to the blond before she started back towards her bedroom, "I'm going to get another half hour of sleep."

"Sweet dreams, ya big grump!" Chris called to her before returning to his books.

It was lucky day where Chris had no classes to unhappily prepare for. So, he spent the rest of the daylight hours looking through his textbook and cramming additional notes along the borders of the already cluttered pages.

His focus had only been broken once to call out a goodbye to Ashley when she left that morning. Or, it was, until his alarm blared through the empty dorm, officially disrupting his learning frenzy for the evening. Glancing over to his phone, Chris nearly fell out of his chair trying to get up from his desk. Stumbling over himself, he began shoving his books into his bag. Barely giving himself the time to throw on a clean shirt and sweater before he was grabbing his backpack and rushing to the door - though, he did tug on an additional jacket as he did so. Just in case.

Chris found himself breaking into a jog as he rounded the corner, the museum finally coming into his line of sight. He slipped a couple of times on the icy steps trying to rush up them in excitement - he simply couldn't wait to show Ahkmenrah all his studies. He threw himself through the museum doors, ignoring the curious looks the last patrons shot him and shut himself in the 'Guards Office' to get ready.

Come sundown, Teddy was the first to welcome him back. "Glad to see we didn't scare you off, Christopher." He greeted, tipping his hat down to the blond, who gave an awkward little salute in response.

But Chris beamed up at the man as he dropped his hand. "Gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me." He teased, adjusting his bag.

The older man laughed heartily, attracting brief attention from waking exhibits. Teddy gestured to Chris' back, curiously asking, "What do you have in there?"

"Ah, well it's a surprise for Ahk." He smiled sheepishly.

"A surprise? For our Pharaoh?" The elder repeated, glancing to the bag a bit unsure. He still offered a slight smile, however, as he commented, "Well, it's a good one, I hope. Ahkmenrah doesn't get very many gifts."

"Yeah, me too." Chris sighed nervously. "It's just a book about Egypt. I learn about it in University."

Teddy relaxed, patting Chris on the back as they began making their way back to the lobby. "I think he'll enjoy that very much. I'm unsure how much he knows about his country since his rule."

Chris nodded, replying, "That's what I was thinking." as he looked around the lobby, noting that nothing seemed to be in disarray. "I'll probably have a quick run around to see if everything's alright before heading up, so if you see Ahk could you tell him I'm looking for him?"

"Of course," The president nodded but as Chris turned to start down one of the halls, he added, "I'm sure he'll make his way down to the lobby soon enough. If you come by and he is not waiting, then I would check his tomb. Otherwise, he likes to wonder around the Oceanic exhibits." He paused, "Just, so you know where to find him, in the future."

Chris blinked and nodded, smiling a bit at the thought of the Pharaoh taking a stroll through the ocean wing. "Right, I'll keep that in mind. See ya around, Mr. President!" He grinned before jogging off.

* * *

 Chris had finished up his rounds rather quickly, and when all two issues - both of which simply involved helping an exhibit down from their enclosure - were solved, he stopped by the lobby to try and spot the familiar figure. Though, when he found no sign of the king, he did as Teddy had suggested earlier and checked the tomb. He couldn't get far into the room with the two Jackals blocking his path, but he could easily notice the tablet missing from it's place on the wall. So he turned, offering an apologetic grin the Guard's way, to make his way to the third floor towards the Oceanic exhibit.

The first thing that caught his eye when he walked through the doors was the glittering of gold - all attached to the man he was looking for. Chris smiled gently as he took notice of the way Ahkmenrah leaned forward against the railing, watching the slow motion of a blue whale hanging from the room's ceiling.

Chris stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in how absolutely breathtaking the man was under this lighting and looking so at ease. He felt a blush creep up to his cheeks and prayed the blue lights above would hide it as he approached, clearing his throat to announce his presence - unaware that the Pharaoh had been aware of his presence since he began approaching thanks to the sound of Chris' boots echoing quietly against the tiled floor.

So Ahkmenrah wasn't at all surprised to turn his head and see the blond by his side, even offering him an easy smile as he greeted, "Theodore told me you would come searching for me. Wouldn't tell me why, however."

Chris nodded as he set his bag down by his feet. "I just, um. I have something to...to show you." He murmured as he withdrew his textbook. "I thought you might like to take a look at this." Chris smiled shyly, and held the book out.

Ahkmenrah pushed himself away from the railing, looking down at the book with curiosity. "It's a book?" He commented, carefully taking the item from Chris' outstretched hands.

"Its my Egyptology textbook." He clarified. "All the information we have available about Egypt and it's history is in there."

The king flipped through a few pages, his eyes skimming over the paragraphs that covered page after page, and he smiled wide at the information given. "...Over four thousand years comprised into this book." He hummed, turning another page.

"Summarized and compacted, but yeah." He grinned, finding that he enjoyed seeing the Pharaoh's smile.

Ahkmenrah went quiet for a few minutes longer, becoming more enthralled in the information presented about his people and his culture, until he came across the next chapter of the book, his smile growing impossibly wider. "Well, that looks familiar." He murmured, somewhat to himself.

Chris had been leaning against the railing, enjoying his view of the Egyptian king as he took in all the information. Though, upon his statement, Chris leaned over to get a better look at the page Ahk had stopped on.

Ahk even tilted the book towards Chris to help the other read the title better, though he still read aloud, "' _Pharaoh Merenkahre_ '...I haven't heard my father's name in such a long time."

Chris hummed, "There's an entire section about him in there, even mentions your mom a couple of times."

Ahk's eyes were back on the pages at Chris' comment, reading through the information gathered from his own past life - even smiling at the few memories the words returned. Then, he found himself re-reading the same paragraph a few times over, that grin now faltering with confusion. "' _Merenkahre's family tree was one of the smallest of his blood line'_?" He read aloud, "' _Shepseheret bore only two sons, and_ -'" A pause. Then, "This information's wrong."

Chris furrowed his brows and moved closer to Ahk, pushing his glasses up his nose as he inspected the paragraph closely. "I don't understand." He glanced up at the other, perplexed.

Ahkmenrah, with a sharp shake of his head, explained, "We were not a small family! There's..." he trailed off, flipping the page to skim the following paragraphs. "They aren't even mentioned." he mumbled out.

Chris blinked in confusion. "Who're you talking about, man?"

The Pharaoh looked up to Chris with a frown. "Mery and Seshep-Iah. My sisters?" He clarified, "You have no information on them?"

Chris furrowed his brows again and leaned back against the rail, his mind running through all the facts he had on Ahkmenrah's family. "I've never read about any sisters." He admitted softly, "I don't recall any documents about anyone but you and your brother."

"That makes no sense," The other argued weakly, turning the pages back to see if he had misread or skipped their names, but... 

"Nothing?" He questioned again, "They were born two years after myself. Twins. _Miracles_ , really."

Chris nodded, taking in the information. Birthing twins at the time was essentially unheard of, especially after having two children prior without any complications. There should have been at least a couple of documents about them - they could have been referred to as goddesses. _Miracles,_ like Ahk had said. Chris racked his brain for any recall or memory on them, but came up with nothing.

"No. But maybe I just haven't found the documents, y'know?" He offered. It was a weak argument, given that he had been obsessed with the lineage of the ancient Pharaoh's. It wasn't uncommon for people - even entire bloodlines - being erased from history. Hell, there wasn't much information on the man standing before him.

Ahkmenrah looked as if he was going to fall into some type of panic - the realization that his sisters shared no space in history had him flipping through several more pages, and moving onto chapters. "Does this book have any information on my rule?" He asked anxiously.

"Of course." Chris answered, leaning over once more to see the pages before murmuring, "Let me see..."

Chris flipped through the memorized pages until he found the one that held the specific information. It was quite small, only two pages compared to his father's ten page section. But that didn't bother Ahkmenrah in the least. The Pharaoh quickly skimmed through all of the two pages dedicated to himself, yet his frown only deepened when his sisters were again left out of the picture. "What," he started, his mind reeling for a possible reason as to why, "What about information on what occurred after my rule?"

Chris flipped through the pages again before finally settling on the next section. "Your brother took heir to the throne after you passed." He spoke carefully.

"My brother..." Ahkmenrah repeated, his attention moving to Chris. "Kahmunrah took my place?"

Chris nodded. "He undid nearly everything you had changed during your time. Your people believed the land was plagued by sickness and famine because he troubled the Gods."

Ahk fell quiet then, his eyes only flickering down to the book before he closed it gently and offered it back to Chris' hands. "I think I'm done reading, for now."

Chris took it back with a troubled expression, slipping the textbook back into his bag. "Why wouldn't your sisters be written about?" he asked; though, he didn't expect an answer. He doubted Ahk had a solid conclusion.

And the Pharaoh continued to be kept silent, his eyes focused only on the floor. Though, eventually he spoke, "I only have a theory. I wouldn't know for sure unless I was to speak with Kah."

"Your brother?"

Ahk nodded his head, turning back around to lean against the railing - just as he had before Chris' arrival. "He was the eldest of us all. I was second. Then Mery-Sebah and Seshep-Iah. My parents, they didn't trust Kahmunrah to take the throne with grace as my father did. He was too irrational and easy to anger. They worried their passing would bring about war, so...he was taken from the line. Not himself or any children he might have had would descend to my father's rule. I was second in line, now placed in first. So at my parent's deaths, I took the title of Pharaoh instead of Kahmunrah. He never..." Ahkmenrah paused then, his voice cracking just slightly near the end of his words. Clearing his throat, he regained his composure, "He never forgave me."

Chris listened quietly, reaching over and resting a hand on the other's shoulder - Ahkmenrah flinching at the contact, though it lasted only a second long. "Maybe if you two were able to talk-" he started, attempting comfort.

"If we were able to talk," Ahk interrupted, his tone going cold, "I'd have more than a few choice words for him."

Chris pulled his hand back at the other's tone, instead moving to lean against the railing besides him. Ahk looked to Chris briefly, his expression softening before his lips pursing together in a thin line. "...Are you _sure_  he had ruled after me?" He questioned, "It doesn't make sense. Mery and Seshep-Iah would have been the next to rule after my death."

Chris shifted where he stood, adjusting his glasses in thought before he answered, "Positive."

Ahkmenrah hummed, going quiet as he again tried to search himself for an answer. "Something must have happened afterwards. I wouldn't think the twins would have offered that power to Kah. They were aware of his situation."

"Something's just not adding up." Chris crossed his arms, disappearing into his own realm of thought before he sparked an idea, and looked to Ahk, "Tell ya what. When I go home I'll see what I can dig up."

Ahkmenrah immediately straightened up with an expression of surprise. "You would?" He inquired.

"Yeah, of course. We're talking about your family, Ahk. They seem to mean a lot to you and I'd be glad to help piece together whatever I can." He offered a smile, reaching down and pulling his backpack back on his shoulder.

"That," The young king paused, smiling wide at the offer, "I would appreciate that. I would like to know what happened after I had...after my rule."

"I'll bring you more of my notes tomorrow!" Chris beamed, adjusting one of the bag straps.

Ahkmenrah looked as if he was reaching out towards the blond, but his hands dropped down in front of him, clasping together. He settled for a gentle smile as he spoke, "You have many notes of me and my culture, don't you?"

"I do."

"So if we were to go over what you have written, to test how much of your notes are accurate, what would you say?"

"Well..." Chris leaned back against the rail, a teasing smile forming on his lips, "Depends. How much time do we have left, to talk?"

Ahkmenrah matched the blond's grin, "How long until sunrise?"

* * *

That night, Chris hurried back to his dorm and made a beeline for his bookcase, shifting through what held years worth of research, notes, and records. He plopped himself down in his bean bag chair (a gift from Ashley, when he had moved in the beginning of that year), and pulled his laptop off of his desk onto his lap. That's where he remained for the rest of the week. The only times he was able to be pulled away from his little corner was when Ashley forced him to put his computer aside and eat, or when his watch notified him that he needed to get ready for his night shift. He would then gather all of his new findings and stuff them in his bags to head to the museum, only to head back home afterwards and sit back down in the little nook he had made for himself - nose shoved into his book and occasionally scribbling down notes.

He'd occasionally find a new lead that would ultimately lead to dead ends. But, that did not damper Chris' enthusiasm. Every waking moment was dedicated to trying to connect the mysteries of the Pharaoh's family. He had even been using up hours of the day he could have been using to rest for this project - much to Ashley's dismay.

It was Friday evening when Chris was rummaging through his horde of documents when he found a small leather bound journal. It was worn down and the spine was broken, pages sticking out and post it notes jutting from several sections. Chris felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him, and he found himself setting aside his work to sifting through the old pages, letting himself disappear into the book's information.

He was startled from his trance as his watch blared it's alarm for him to get ready. As he gathered the rest of the documents, typical night routine now, he brought his gaze back to the little book. After a moment of hesitation, stuffed it into his bag as well.

Chris groggily entered the museum and changed into his uniform as dusk settled over the city. Once properly dressed - after several attempts at tying his tie and buttoning the crisp guard shirt incorrectly - he made his way out of the guard's office.

"Christopher!" Came the familiar thunderous voice of the 26th president - greeting Chris on horseback as the startled blond entered the lobby, Sacajawea smiling bright from behind him with her arms firmly wrapped around the man's waist. "Return with more information for our Pharaoh, I assume?" He questioned, gesturing to the book currently tucked under Chris' arm.

As Chris blinked down to his book, it took a delay for him to respond to the president,"Oh. Yeah. Just found some stuff online and..." He drifted off from his sentence to fight back a yawn. To no avail. Teddy's normally bright features faltered at the action, and Sac went still before shifting to leave Texas' saddle, dropping down with such gentleness that Chris didn't think he even heard her feet touch the floor.

"Chris?" She frowned, "How much rest have you been receiving?"

Chris hummed a bit as he tilted his head up, as if he'd find the answer hiding somewhere above him. "Just, like...a few." he concluded.

"A few?" she repeated, reaching forward to take his face into her hands.

"My boy," Teddy spoke up then, dropping down from Texas himself, "Exactly what amount is 'a few', in your definition?"

But, before Chris had any time to think about an answer, Sacajawea was speaking first: "His gaze is far out of focus. I've seen this look in both Clark and Lewis' eyes before."

Chris whined a bit, removing the woman's hands from his face as he began to insist, "I'm fine, Sac. Just...been studying an' stuff."

"You haven't been sleeping," Sac accused, "And you are going to harm yourself doing so. You need to come rest."

"No, no! I have some stuff to show Ahk right now. I think I'm _really_ close to a breakthrough." The blond started, forcibly blinking to try and fight the sleep off, to prove Sacajawea wrong. Because he _was_ fine. She was just overreacting. He wouldn't harm himself going a few days without sleep.

But: "It can wait a night," She argued, dropping her arms to rest at Chris' hands, "There's the couch in your office, right? You can go sleep there. Teddy and I can watch the exhibits for a night."

Chris shook his head heavily and raised a hand to push his glasses up. Teddy couldn't help but think Chris looked more like a six year old rejecting a nap more than a sleep deprived college student. He kept that comment to himself. Instead, he decided to help Sacajawea convince the blond to see reason. "Ahkmenrah will understand if you need rest," Resting a hand against Chris' shoulder, he offered, "I will let him know any information you wanted to give to him."

"Seriously, you guys, I'm fine." Chris began to argue once more, "This is important!"

"Ahkmenrah will understand, Christopher." Teddy tried insisting again. And, at the sound of his name, the hurried footsteps of the Pharaoh echoed down the museum's steps. He had taken notice of the situation, watching from the overlook with some confusion first, and then worry.

"What's going on?" He immediately questioned, eyes dancing between the Native woman and night guard.

Chris had jolted a bit as the new voice joined the argument. Though as he turned and focused on the golden man that had walked up, he smiled, "There you are! Boy, do I have stuff for you-"

"Chris," Ahkmenrah greeted him, though his frown deepened, "May I ask, again, what's going on?"

Sacajawea looked between the boys with some silence before explaining, "Chris hasn't been resting as often as he should. His vision is unfocused and blurry. I've seen the same look on Lewis and Clark on nights when we had moved forward for too long."

Chris grumbled incoherently and looked away to add, "I'm fine..."

Ahk simply looked to Sac and Teddy with some suspicion, but at their looks of concern he offered a gentle - though mischievous, Sac noted - smile. "Well, if he insists he _okay_ ," the Pharaoh started, "Then he's fine. He wouldn't lie to us."

Sacajawea looked to the young king with surprise, but the subtle shake of his head had her keeping quiet. Teddy didn't catch it, however. "He's clearly not fine, Ahkmenrah," He went to argue, but Sac was there to place a gentle hand on his arm.

"Ahkmenrah is right. If there was really something to worry over, Chris would tell us." She reassured, looking to Ahk with a knowing nod before turning to lead the president down a hall.

The guard felt a twist in his gut from guilt. A couple of days without sleep was _fine_...right?

Chris watched as the couple walked away before turning to Ahkmenrah, joy now replacing that guilt. "Ahk! So, I think I found some more stuff about your family-" Chris began rambling, the excitement shining through his exhausted demeanor.

"That's good," Ahkmenrah nodded, reaching to take Chris' hand into his own before leading the blond towards the Guard's office, "How about we sit so you can show me?" He suggested. Chris faltered as he felt his cheeks grow warm, glancing down to their joined hands before glancing back up and nodding, feeling his hand trembling just the slightest from the sudden burst of nerves.

"I. I found some more texts and...stuff" He continued, his confidence dwindling a bit - from lack of sleep or the fact that Ahkmenrah was _literally_ holding his hand, Chris couldn't tell.

Worry washed over Ahk's features for a brief moment as he lead Chris into the room, nodding to the couch there. "Can't wait to read it all," He continued the facade.

Chris drifted over to the couch pulled his book bag off his shoulder to set it on the floor, before sitting down himself. Though the moment his body touched the cushions it seemed to sag, and what was left of his _'I'm fine_ ' charade drained from him. He was tired and clearly looked the part - dark circles under his worn eyes, his already pale complexion seemed ghost like, and his eyelids drooped continuously. Chris tried to fight it one last time, leaning over to dig into his bag and root around the papers and books within. 

Ahkmenrah took immediate notice, however, and he reached to take the books from Chris' hands. "I'll...I will read these in a moment." He promised, setting the books aside as he took a seat besides the blond. "Chris, when was the last time you slept?" He questioned.

Chris looked over and frowned in thought. Knowing that the Egyptian would most definitely know if he was lying he sighed softly, gestured to the bag of books, and murmured, "Since we started all this."

With some surprise, Ahk worried, "You haven't slept since we tried finding more information? At all?"

Chris lowered his gaze and shrugged sheepishly. "I wanted to help."

Ahk shook his head slightly, placing his hand - once again - on top of blonds' own. "You shouldn't be doing that for my sake, Chris."

Chris balled his hands into fists nervously at the touch, feeling the blush creeping back up again. "I...I know. I just get too carried away when I get invested."

Ahk's attention went back to the books, realizing that Chris had done more research than he'd expected, all at the cost of his own sleep. "Perhaps you should rest now." He suggested gently.

The blond hesitated, before giving in and nodding. "You don't have'ta stay here.." He mumbled softly as he laid back against the couch.

"Well if someone isn't here, how will we know if you truly rested?"

Chris hummed, smiling a bit before crossing his arms and resting his head against the back of the couch, letting his eyes shut slowly. Ahkmenrah was still where he sat, almost worried any movements would stir Chris from the slumber he so desperately needed. However, as the minutes ticked by and every object in the room had been examined through sight, Ahk felt himself growing restless.

Luckily for him, there were several books placed aside, and he was now given the chance to read through them. The issue that then presented itself was whether he should invade Chris' privacy; but, the blond had wanted to show Ahk the research he'd found. Perhaps going through it on his own wouldn't anger the night guard as much as the young king was imagining.

* * *

It was probably an hour or so until Chris woke up, his eyes fluttered open to find everything sideways. After blinking a bit more, he realized he was actually lying down - his head resting someplace warm and soft. Glancing up, he was met with the view of the Pharaoh reading one of the Egyptian history books he had brought along, head bowed a bit as his eyes danced across the pages.

Chris could feel his heart thump hard against his chest as he became overwhelmed by the beauty of this man. He knew Ahkmenrah was attractive, but in this moment he saw things he hadn't really noticed before. The edges of his dark curls that peeked from beneath his crown, the wide eyes that were filled with curiosity and wonder, the full lips that were parted ever so slightly as he read. With a start Chris realized his position - which only accelerated his heart beat and thought. He was lying on the man's lap.

Ahkmenrah had noticed the blond's alertness, however, and his gaze shifted right down to where Chris' head lied. "You hadn't given me details as to what you've been researching, yet." Was how he decided to greet the wakening guard, "Where'd you find all these old scriptures?"

Chris' face went beet red as their eyes met, blinking at the questions as he tried to calm himself down. "I've just been trying to find any information about your sisters. And maybe even you." He sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes, his glasses crooked and his hair in disarray. "And I've been collecting books and documents since high school. From libraries. Book stores."

"Even old scriptures." Ahk added on, setting down his current book. Chris stiffed a lingering yawn and nodded, glancing down at his bag as he recalled a small booklet Ahk had yet to know the existence of.

"I've actually, uh. I've been compiling information about Egypt and it's history since first learned about it all.." He started, his voice shaking just the slightest - he was still trying to clear his head - and he reached in to withdraw the journal. Ahk turned towards Chris as he pulled the raggedy book from the bag, and the Egyptian smiled bright at the sight.

"You believe there's information on my sisters and I in your journal?" He questioned.

"There could be. I haven't read through this thing in years." Chris ran his fingers over the binding fondly before looking back to Ahk. "I haven't really-...I never showed it to anyone. Not without my permission, anyway."

With some surprise, Ahk took the journal as Chris offered it to him as he repeated, "To no one?" 

"Well, I mean. There were some kids that kinda...took it." Chris admitted with a frown. "But kids can be kinda messed up, y'know?"

Ahkmenrah was hesitant to hold onto the book after hearing the confession. "It was stolen, you mean" He corrected. "This has been taken forcefully from you.."

Chris sighed and nodded. "Yeah, well. Being the only chubby kid with glasses and a huge obsession over history and tech kinda makes you a perfect target."

Slowly, the king shifted to move closer to the blond, their shoulders brushing up against each other as he did so. "I'm sorry," He frowned, "I didn't realize your interest in me would have caused trouble."

Chris shook his head and smiled. "If it wasn't for being a huge geek, I probably wouldn't be here right now. With you."

The corners of Ahkmenrah's frown twitched up in an almost-smile, though he attempted to hide his face by turning back to the book in his hands. He opened it carefully, slowly, almost afraid he'd damage it. Chris in turn leaned into Ahk to read the journal with him. The first page had ' _History of Egypt_ ' scrawled at the top, with Chris' name beneath in childish writing. On each side were doodles of Thoth - the god of wisdom. They were drawn in a way that indicated that they were guarding the journal and the words written within.

Ahkmenrah let himself smile then, his fingers gently brushing over the drawings. "...These are yours?" He guessed, though he did wait for confirmation from the other.

"Yeah." Chris smiled a bit. "At the time I thought it would be cool to have him kind of welcome me whenever I opened it. Kinda corny looking back on it." He chuckled.

"It's," The other paused, thinking of the correct word to use before he settled for, "Cute."

Chris blushed lightly at the compliment, but kept quiet. He didn't trust his voice in that moment. Ahkmenrah flipped to the next page, blinking at what then covered it. "..Hieroglyphics?" He murmured in surprise, "You know how to write in hieroglyphics?"

"I'm a bit rusty at it, but yeah. But, don't judge this page too harshly. I was practicing some simple stuff." The guard smiled. "It's easier for me to read them then write them. Translates faster, if that makes any sense."

"It makes perfect sense." Ahkmenrah nodded, looking over the page a bit longer before moving on. Each page of the journal was different. There were hieroglyphs, pyramid diagrams, the social structure of Egyptian cultures, a list of the gods and goddesses, and even a couple of stories from the times. That was, until they reached a page with ' _Ahkmenrah: Forth King of the Forth King_ ' jotted down at the top with it's corresponding hieroglyphs. The journal mentioned Ahk or his family throughout, young Chris obviously enthralled with the Pharaoh's reign.

Chris, in response, shrunk in on himself with embarrassment, muttering to himself, "I forgot about that."

However, Ahkmenrah's smile only widening further into the journal that they read on. It was _cute_ , to see Chris' interest in him and his culture bloom onto pages. "You really took interest in my rule." He hummed, "What was so interesting about me? There are far more famous Pharaoh's, aren't there?"

"None as great as you." Chris admitted, without a thought, his stomach leapt to his throat in a panic and hastily attempted to back peddle, "I mean, you were kind and just. You wanted what was best for your people and did everything you could for them. You're incredible, Ahk." He murmured softly. Because, oh yeah. _That was so much better_.

Ahkmenrah paused his reading, all his focus moving completely to Chris. His mind reeled for proper words, anything that could match the kind ones Chris had provided to him. But, his words stumbled as they left his lips, "I, um, that's...I..." Until he could manage a quick, "Thank you."

And Chris couldn't help but admire him further, his mind being pulled back to the same feeling he had felt when he awoke. Remember just how close he'd been to the man before him. And as Ahk tried to regain his composure, all Chris could see was the faint rosy tint that bloomed on the Pharoah's cheeks. And in that moment, his mind was made.

He was in love with a thousand year old mummy.

...Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you didn't figure it out, Mery and Seshep-Iah are meant to represent Hannah and Beth.  
> Hannah ~ Mery-Sebah: Beloved Star  
> Beth ~ Seshep-Iah: Bright Moon  
> We did mention in the tags that the other UD character will be mentioned. All of them! So, Ahk has two twin sisters along with his brother.  
> Thank you all for being so patient with us! We will try to work at a faster pace, but we cannot make promises. But, thank you for being understanding! We have much more to come!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's "Bring Your Best Friend To Work" Day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so incredibly sorry for being late. We've been working on both this chapter, and future ones to avoid long waits like this. But from now on, things will hopefully not take as long to update! Thanks for being patient!

It's around six in the morning when Chris creaks open the door to the dorm he shared with Ashley. Tiptoeing inside, he set his bag down in hopes that his entrance hadn't woke the redhead - he did not need to deal with a grumpy Ash after the night he had.

But, of course, something worse had to happen.

He hadn't woken Ashley up. Because she apparently never went to sleep. She was instead waiting for him in the darkness of their room, sitting on their couch with crossed arms and a stern frown. "Don't think you can go running off to your room, now." She threatened, the ghost of a smirk forming on her lips when he jumped, clearly not having noticed her until then.

"Jesus, Ash!" Chris whirled around, clutching his chest as he tried to squint through the darkness.

"Don't seem so surprised. This was bound to happen." She shook her head, pushing herself off the couch, before gesturing to it. "You. Sit. Now."

"Do we really have to do this in the dark? At least open the blinds, you're creeping me out." Chris whined, carefully navigating his way to the couch.

"If I open the blinds, you won't sleep." She replied, "You'll complain about the light being in your eyes."

Chris huffed stubbornly as he sat down, "I'm fine, y'know. I'm a big boy."

"A big boy who needs to sleep." Ashley shook her head, wandering into the bedroom for a moment to retrieve a blanket. "And I mean really sleep. Not rest for an hour and tell me you're fine." She added on, draping the blanket over the blond.

"Seriously, Ash-" He started, but Ashley interrupted before he could finish.

"I am being serious." She shook her head, shoving at Chris' shoulder until he finally gave in and lied down, "You cannot live off an hour of sleep a night!"

Chris irritably grunted out a soft, "Yeah yeah." as he gave into Ashley's commands, letting her practically tuck him into the couch. Despite the fact he had slept at the museum - on a Pharaoh's lap, no less - he did still have a week of rest to catch up on. And he could feel fatigue starting to eat at him.

"You know," Ashley started again, removing Chris' glasses to set them down on their coffee table, "I don't know why you just don't sleep at the museum. How often do break in's occur that you gotta be on look-out the whole night?"

Chris sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's not that simple Ash."

"How so?" She replied, sitting down on the edge of the table. "Explain to me why you can't spare two or three hours to sleep?"

"Well. It's..." He tried, though he stopped himself and mulled it over. Should he really tell her? No one ever told him it was supposed to stay a secret. Letting his best friend know wouldn't really hurt anything, right?

Chris bit his lip in thought before looking back to his friend. "...I can't tell you." He started, putting a hand up as Ashley opened her mouth to retaliate. "But I can show you."

Ashley closed her mouth slowly at the response, confusion washing over her features. "Show me?" She repeated.

"Tonight." He affirmed.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're gonna come to work with me. Tonight."

Ashley fell quiet, unsure of whether Chris was teasing or not. "You want me to come to your job. At the museum. To do what, exactly? Sit around?"

Chris just grinned, "You'll see, okay? Trust me Ash, you won't regret it."

With a little huff, she fell silent for a minute longer before simply reaching over to pat his arm. "Go to sleep, Chris." she told him, rising to her feet again to disappear to her room.

* * *

Chris slept through the rest of the day, only awaking to the sound of Ashley returning home from her day of classes. Chris sat up with a yawn and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're home?" He spoke, his words still heavy with sleep, "Man, I was out."

"I know." Ash replied, setting her bag down besides Chris' with a heavy sigh. "You wouldn't be that tired if you, you know, slept like a normal person."

"Yeah, well. Some things came up." He sighed and stood, stretching with a low grunt before grabbing his bag and moving towards the kitchen to retrieve a snack from the fridge.

"...I know I didn't give you an answer this morning. About coming with you to work." Ashley started, following Chris to their kitchen to get a fruit from the bowl placed in the center of their counter top - one Chris had insisted on buying because, _no Ashley, it wasn't cliche to own a fruit bowl._

"I wasn't really giving you a choice." He shot back, flashing her a grin as he attempted to smooth out his disheveled clothes.

"Well, I have an answer anyway." She retorted, taking a bite from the apple she'd chosen, "And it's yes."

Chris hummed and headed towards the door. "Well then, let's get a move on. Can't be late for your first day."

"Wait, we're going now?" She questioned, frowning as she threw away her unfinished apple to hastily followed Chris out of their dorm, picking up her bag as she did so. "It's barely six!"

"Yeah. Gotta be there before sunset." He called back to her, already out the door and smiling a bit to himself.

Tonight was gonna be fun.

* * *

 

Ashley had a plethora of questions she wanted to ask - all questions she'd thought of while trying not to doze off in her English class. But, Chris only seemed to want to answer a handful.

"C'mon, Chris." She complained, pulling her coat tighter around her as they started making their way up the steps to the museum, "Why do you gotta follow so many rules? It's literally watching a bunch of stuffed, dead things. That's your job."

Chris just hummed in reply and adjusting his glasses as he held the door open for her. "You'll understand soon. But first, we have to make a pit stop by the guards office so I can change."

" _Oh_ , the super secret office." Ashley mocked in an enthusiastic tone, shifting her bag more firmly onto her shoulder as she stepped inside the building, shivering at the sudden warmth. Chris playfully scoffed at her comment, placing a hand on her shoulder as he turned them in the direction of the office.

"It's totally cool, Ash." He replied, stepping up to his locker to begin changing into his uniform. Ashley jokingly covered her eyes as he did so. It was completely unnecessary - the two shared a living place. It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other undress before.

Still, she teased, "Oh, heavens! A man, undressing in front of a lady he's not married to! How unholy!"

Chris smirked and threw his shirt at her head. " _Scandalous_. What would the people say?" He played along, pulling on the last of his uniform.

Ashley laughed as she tossed the shirt to the floor, pointing at Chris as she replied, "Why, they'll claim you and I are in a relationship!"

Chris grabbed his flashlight to tuck it into his belt and chuckled, "More likely, they'll think you turned me straight."

"That would be considered witchcraft, Christopher."

"And we'd be burned at the stake. Best that we keep this a secret."

Ashley's laughter died into a comfortable silence as she took in Chris' uniform. "You know, I've never seen you in that before." she commented.

"Do I look hot?" He joked, striking what he thought as a sensual pose.

Ashley just snorted as she rolled her eyes, turning on her heel to the office's door. "You look like a dork." She retorted.

"You just can't handle me looking this good." He quipped, following her out.

Ashley just laughed as she walked off, back to the lobby. "Yes, Chris, that's totally the reason."

Chris chuckled and crossed his arms. "Alright. So, first things first. What's your favorite exhibit here?"

"I haven't been here since junior year, when our history class took the field trip." She shrugged her shoulders, eyes dancing from the ginormous tyrannosaur skeleton to the wax figurine of the president. "I guess...the African animals? I loved that place."

Chris smirked and nodded. "How about a personal tour, then?"

"You won't get in trouble for bringing a visitor in after hours, will you?" She pressed, but Chris simply waved her off and made his way towards the hall that led to the mammals' exhibit. She hesitated before following Chris close behind, "As long as you're sure." 

* * *

 

As Chris entered the room, he gestured to one of the benches that had a view of all of the animals' exhibits. Ashley nodded at the gesture, taking a seat as she looked over the lions, zebras, and elephant statues on display.

"I remember how big this place use to feel when we were little." She sighed, almost nostalgically.

Chris nodded as he took a seat beside her, "Like the actual Savannah."

"Still kind of feels like it," She continued, "like this place didn't lose that magic, you know?"

With a knowing smile, he hummed, "Yeah. It sure didn't."

After a moment he glanced down at his watch before leaning over and placing his hand over Ashley's eyes. "You ready to have your mind blown?"

Ashley had jumped a little when Chris' hands covered her eyes, though she laughed and shook her head. "Chris, what are you doing?"

"Shhh! Just wait!" He whispered to her, his smile clear in his tone. And after counting a minute, Chris' grin turned mischievous as the magic settled over the museum. Before the two university students, the animals slowly came to life. The lions stretched their stiff limbs, the zebras snorted and shook their monochrome manes, and the elephant let out a trumpet.

Ashley had forcibly shoved Chris' hands down when she heard the shuffling of footsteps and low growls. Nothing, she thought, would have prepared her when she saw the once dead animals removing themselves from their exhibits. Her eyes seemed stuck on the big cats before them, though, watching with fear as the lions eyed her from their positions. "Wha...Chris?" She spoke, her voice just above a weak hoarse of a whisper. "What's going...what?"

Chris seemed unfazed by the predators, however. He simply stood from the bench and outstretched a hand with the command, "Come on!"

Hesitantly, Ashley took his hand, her knees a bit weak as she stood. But Chris tugged her through the room and beamed back at her as he promised, "This is just the beginning."

"Chris, this is honestly freaking me out." She managed, jumping at the sudden roar that echoed through the halls. Then after a pause, "...The hell was that?"

"Just Rexy."

"Rexy?" Ashley repeated, her voice at least an octave higher now as Chris practically dragged her through the halls, past the many exhibits as they began waking up. Ashley stared at each with a mixture of wonder and fear in her eyes, her hands moving to grip Chris' arm in an attempt to stay as close as she could to her friend.

She heard Chris reply with a soft bit of laughter, "Relax Ash, they won't hurt you."

"How do you know that?" She weakly argued, jumping impossibly close to him as they walked by the Neanderthal exhibit and they reached out to the couple with curious hoots.

"Because," He nodded to some passing Union soldiers. "I've been coming here every night. None of them want to do any harm."

Ashley's steps did halt momentarily at his words. "You've...every night? This happens every night?" Her full attention going to Chris for that brief moment.

"Isn't it awesome?" He exclaimed, eyes filled with excitement.

"It's something." She replied, her voice shaking a bit as she spoke. Chris tugged her forward a bit as he smiled reassuringly.

As they entered the lobby, Chris' eyes immediately began searching around before spotting the man in question. "C'mon, I want you to meet someone." He told her, tugging Ashley along, "Hope you know your presidents."

The redhead didn't get the chance to question his words before Teddy was making his way across the lobby to meet the night guard. Though, he did slow his steps when he noticed the girl attached to his arm. He offered her a smile when she hid a bit behind Chris - silently grateful for the blond's height.

"Hello, my dear." The man spoke to her first, when he was within arms length of the two.

Chris smiled and peered back towards his friend, jokingly saying, "C'mon out Ash, he won't bite."

But, despite Chris' insisting, Ashley remained wary. "I wasn't aware you were bringing a guest tonight, Christopher." The president spoke, humming gently at Ashley's shyness.

Chris laughed sheepishly in return, adjusting his glasses. "I figured if I were to show anyone what this place has to offer, it would be her."

"It's been a while since we had any guests visit the museum this late." Teddy nodded, looking to Ashley again. "It's a pleasure to have you here, ma'am." He greeted her once more, tipping his hat in her direction.

Ashley straightened from where she'd been hunched behind Chris. She looked to the president with some suspicion, but her inquisitiveness got the best of her actions. "Is this," she starts, pausing to collect her thoughts for a moment. "Is this all real?" She eventually finishes, though her gaze goes towards Chris in hopes of an answer. In all the commotion, he was the one person she knew was, well, alive.

Chris was grinning wide enough that it nearly reached his ears. "It's incredible."

Ashley opened her mouth to speak, but when no words came out Teddy took it upon himself to speak for her. "My dear, if I may," He started as he removed the gloves that seemed to constantly cover his hands, before holding it out to the girl. And though she hesitated, eyeing the man in front of her uncertainly, she lifted her own as per his silent request. When Teddy placed their hands together with a steady grip, he asked, "What does that feel like to you? Wax?"

Ashley paused, her eyes on their hands. Then, she shook her head.

"Do I feel fake?" The elder continued. Again, she shook her head. "Then, it would appear I'm just as real as you are." He beamed - bright as always, as he released her hand from his grip.

"They all are." Chris quickly added.

Ashley's attention was drawn to Chris at his comment. Her focus didn't stay there for long - not with the obvious shakes she felt on the floor below her as a familiar fossil made its way back into the main lobby. "And," She muttered, her hand raising to point at the prehistoric bones, "that's real, too? I'm really looking at that?"

Chris looked up to the dinosaur, and smirked as he brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling loud enough for the creature to pause and bound over. The skeleton leaned down and nudged Chris playfully with his nose, causing the guard to chuckle and pat the ridge of his nostril. "Ash, meet Rexy."

Ashley had quickly gone to retreat behind Teddy, covering her mouth to avoid letting out any noise as the Tyrannosaurus made it's way over. Though, as she watched Chris treat the dinosaur - a literal dinosaur - like an overgrown puppy and hadn't been eaten yet, her nerves eased. Despite her eyes growing more with wonder than fear, she still stuck behind the president, keeping distance. Rexy. You.. named it?"

"Nah, I'm not quite sure who named him. Kinda glad I didn't get the chance, otherwise his name might be like, Bony. Or Megatron." He snickered and looked over at Rexy. "Alright boy, you can go back to playing."

Ashley stepped forward once the fossil was bounding back off towards of the halls, and placed a hand on her chest, over her racing heartbeat. "The hell, Chris." She started, her words coming out in a mumble, "You keep this up and I'm going to have an early death."

At hearing her words, Teddy stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder - to Ashley's own surprise, she relaxed rather than jumped. "I can assure you, no harm will come to you. None of us would ever wish to cause that."

"Everyone here is either really cool or doing their own thing. None of them really have the intent to hurt you." Chris agreed, and Ashley looked over to him, taking the few steps needed to close the gap between them until she was at his side again.

"So. Everything's alive?" she asked, "Just because? There's a reason, right?"

Teddy looked from the young woman to the night guard, an eyebrow raising when Chris caught his gaze. "Perhaps it'd be easier to show, than tell?" He simply spoke.

Chris glanced at the President with a similar look. "Worked for me. Besides, I'd love to introduce the two of you." Chris beamed at his friend and wrapped his arm over her shoulder. "Onward!" He grinned and began marching her up the grand staircase. 

Ashley was hesitant, her feet dragging somewhat as Chris led her up the stairs, greeting exhibit after exhibit like old friends. "Chris," Ashley's voice shook when she spoke up again, pressing herself into Chris' side as a statue turned it's head in their direction, "How long had you known about this?"

"A couple of weeks." He patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I've been waiting to show you. I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"You're right. I wouldn't have." She agreed, looking over her shoulder at the exhibits as they passed by. "I don't think anyone would ever believe us."

"About that..." He stopped walking. Turning on his heel to face her completely, he spoke, "This is just between us, okay? I'm not really sure it'd be smart to let a bunch of people know."

Ashley turned to him with surprise. "Keep this between us?" She repeated incredulously, "Seriously? Imagine all the fame we could get from this! I bet the museum would have a lot more business if people knew the exhibits come to damn life!"

Chris' gaze hardened and he lowered his voice. "This isn't about us Ash. It's about them." He gestured to the exhibits that walked about the halls. "They are alive and have feelings, and a will of their own. Now, if they tell me they want to open up to the public, then so be it. But from what I've seen they are perfectly happy to just be here.. Not only that but do you know what would happen to them if we just outed them like that? They'd be taken away, split up from each other, tested on. Completely not okay! I have to keep them safe, Ash. I have to."

The redhead paused, her demeanor changing drastically. "...Wow." She murmured, after a beat of silence had settled between them. "You're really taking this job seriously, huh?"

The man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "They mean a lot to me." He admitted.

Ashley didn't respond for a while afterwards. "I'm not gonna lie," She started, only after Chris had started walking once more, "That's a bit weird. All your other friends besides me are either dead or stuffed."

Chris let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, it is a bit weird, huh?" He glanced over with a smile. "What better company to have for a history nerd?"

Ashley visibly relaxed at hearing Chris' laugh, relieved she hadn't upset him. "Kind of upset you kept this a secret though. I could've talked to Columbus when I was writing that six page long essay on him."

"Honestly, I don't think he would have been much help." He hummed as they began the walk down the halls again. "Only speaks Italian and Spanish. And if I recall correctly, you got a C on your final in Spanish."

Ashley reached over to toss a gentle punch into his arm. "Only because I was up too late studying for it. I failed the oral portion because I was half awake."

"Sure." He smirked and bumped into her gently as he halted in front of the giant doors that led into the Egyptian tomb. Chris pulled open the doors and held them open as Ashley stepped inside; though, she didn't make it far before two spears were thrown down at their feet. She let out a startled yelp and stumbled back a few feet, colliding into Chris with grunt. Before she could open her mouth, Chris stepped forward with a stern look aimed up at the two Guardians who now stood in their way.

"Come on guys, she's with me. How would Ahk feel if you tried to behead one of us?" He spoke up to them, and after a moment the spears were slowly withdrawn, and the two statues returned to their protective stances. Chris turned with a grin to face Ashley as he attempted lighten the mood: "Jackals, am I right?" Meanwhile, she was clutching her chest as she tried to steady her rapid breathing.

"What...what the actual fuck, Christopher." Was all she could wheeze out before Chris was leading her into the exhibit, the blond chuckling at the redhead's reaction. As her initial fear passed however, it soon transformed to wonder when they stepped inside the small chambers. Chris heard her mutter under her breath, though he didn't quite catch the words. He looked over to ask but found her missing, he turned his head to see her already heading towards the now-open sarcophagus. This made Chris glance around with a small frown, his full attention now on the fact that there was a lack of a certain Pharaoh in the room.

"I don't think I've seen this thing since our field trip." Ashley announced, stepping around the ancient coffin, her gaze fixated on the tablet upon the wall. Her comment cut Chris' mission short as he looked back over to her. He tensed up when he noted how short the distance was between her and the artifact. Remembering how his own encounter with getting too close to the relic hadn't gone over so smoothly, it was easy to guess that a stranger getting too close to the tablet would put Ahkmenrah on edge. Wherever he was.

"Ash, wait a sec, okay? I want to introduce you to someone." The blond offered, hoping to distract the other. But it was to no avail as she stepped closer. "Ashley." Chris lowered his voice to a warning, feeling anxiety grow in the pit of his stomach at the thought of the Egyptian man catching them. That would not be the kind of first impression he'd want Ashley to leave on the Pharaoh. But as luck would have it, a voice spoke up from behind him, sending a small shiver through his body.

“It’s quite rude to touch what doesn’t belong to you.” Ahkmenrah calls, stepping out from behind one of the many pillars that held up his exhibit’s room. Ashley leapt back from the wall, whipping around to see the King.

Chris smiled over at him as he tried forcing the butterflies down. “And where’ve you been?”

Ahk’s stern glare melted into a soft smile. “I was expecting to meet you at the door. I didn’t think you'd have company.” Came the answer as he stepped closer to the Night Guard. Chris opened his mouth to retort, however Ahk’s attention was drawn back to the redhead - who was still standing behind his coffin with her mouth slightly open. “Who’s she?” He murmured quietly, the question directed to Chris. It takes the blond a moment for the words to click, his mind too preoccupied on how close he was standing to the other man.

“Oh! Ashley,” He jolted, waving for the redhead to come closer, “this is who I wanted you to meet.”

Though hesitant, Ashley stepped towards the two, Ahk involuntarily tensing. A tension that disappears as soon as Chris spoke again, placing his hand on Ashley’s shoulder. “Ash, this is Ahkmenrah. Fourth King of the fourth King.”

Ashley quickly stood straight - Chris’ hand sliding off from its place on her shoulder - as she clumsily greeted the young man with, “Hello your…highness?”

The title is enough to get a laugh out of Ahk. “You don’t have to call me that. No one in the museum does.” He tells her, before directing attention back to Chris with, “Are all your friends just like you?”

Chris let out a soft, embarrassed laugh. “I guess if I had more they would be.”

Ashley gently smacked Chris’ arm. “Geez,” She muttered, “way to impress the King, Chris.”

Narrowing his eyes some, Ahk purses his lips together before he turned his head to look at the bespectacled man beside him with a tender smile, “He already has.”

Ashley settled for silence when she doesn’t know how to respond to that. Chris, however, is a flustered mess besides her.

“Well, I,” he starts sheepishly, then tries again, “What can I say? I have wit and charm and I'm-”

“A giant nerd.” Ashley added, deciding to push past the tension between herself and the Egyptian.

Chris responds by lightly jabbing her side with his elbow. “And I have a horrible taste in friends.” He huffed teasingly.

“Friends who also seem to have a bad habit with touching what doesn’t belong to them.” Ahkmenrah hummed stiffly before moving towards the wall behind his sarcophagus.  
Chris bit his lip worriedly and shot a nervous look toward Ashley as he tried to come to her defense, “I can’t blame her. The tablet seems to just draw you in, y'know?”

Ahkmenrah chuckled, amused by the statement. "I suppose it does have that ability on some." He agreed, his focus turning to the golden tablet on the wall. "But I believe any object that holds magical capabilities would." He added, calmly walking past the two.

"Magical?" Ash repeated under her breath. Then, louder, "If that's yours, does that mean you're magic too?" She turns to Chris before the King had a chance to answer, "Would explain how he got here without us seeing him."

Ahkmenrah paused his steps by his casket, looking back to the redhead. "I wouldn't consider myself magic, no." He answered briefly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "But I was here when you both entered. I was just getting dressed. I don't go into my sarcophagus in my robes."

Chis blushed at the thought of Ahkmenrah changing in the same room as him before smiling apologetically at the Pharaoh. "I probably should've knocked like usual. I was just excited to show Ash how the museum works."

"Which you still have yet to explain." She quickly pointed out. Ahkmenrah continued his way up to the wall to remove his tablet.

"It all happens," The King started, turning on his heel to face the couple, "because of this." He pulled the golden object from it's place on the wall. "I thought it was a curse when I first discovered its abilities. Having to wake up again and again each night trapped in a coffin. The other exhibits thought it that, too. Called it the Pharaoh's curse, before I was released." He paused, looking down at the tablet with a troubled look, running his fingers over it's engravings. "I know better than that, now. It's a blessing, really."

As the Pharaoh spoke, Chris found his eyes being drawn to the man's face. He couldn't help but smile softly as Ahkmenrah's lips quirked up a bit in a smile as he stared down at the tablet. Ashley's eyes, however, were locked on the tablet in his hands. "So.. That's the reason this all happens?" She pressed, taking a small step forward from Chris' side.  
Chris was broken from his trance when Ahkmenrah looked up, and he quickly looked to Ashley to hide the fact that he had been staring.

"How does it work?" She had added, oblivious the the blond's daze. Confusion washed over Ahkmenrah's face at the question.

There was a long moment before he answered, "I don't know, honestly. My father knew more about it than I did. My parents and I were separated before he had the chance to explain how it all worked."

Chris moved to Ahkmenrah's side as he pushed his glasses up in thought. "I can only imagine what else it could be capable of. It's probably best it stays in your hands, Ahk."  
When the King lifted his head to Chris, his smile grew wide. "Well. I'm certainly happy it's still in my possession."

Chris ducked his head a bit and smiled, "Me too." He drifted off for a moment before he had turned to Ashley, turning his attention to her, "So, you wanna see anyone in particular?"

"Anyone?" she repeated, before pausing and thinking it over. "Well, I don't know. You recommend anyone?"

"Has she met Sacajawea?" Ahkmenrah offered, moving to stand by Chris' side.

The blond glanced over at him and smiled. "Perfect." He grinned and grabbed Ashley's hand and tugged her towards the door. "She's probably with Teddy by now."

Ashley let out some laughter when Chris took her hand, moving quicker to keep up with his pace. Ahkmenrah trailed far behind them as they left, however - his smile having slipped from his face the moment he'd noticed their joined hands.

And he wasn't sure why; but his chest grew tight at the small action. He also wasn't sure why he felt the need to reach forward and attempt to replace Ashley's hand with his own. It was merely a friendly gesture. Nothing more, he kept telling himself.

* * *

Chris made his way down the stairs and spotted the young native woman with the president in the lobby. His grin grew wider as he glanced over at Ashley's expression, which was lit up with excitement - rather than fear - as they drew closer to the couple.

Teddy was the first to notice them, smiling bright to see Ashley once again. "An entire museum and you return to see me?" He teased, resting a hand on Sacajawea's back when the woman turned in curiosity. Like Ahk had, she narrowed her eyes some - examining the unfamiliar face. Though, she did manage somewhat of a smile when Teddy moved to introduce her, "My dear, this is Ashley. A friend of Christopher's. She was interested in joining him, tonight."

Chris hung back a bit to let Ashley acquaint herself. "She wouldn't have believed me otherwise. Bit of a stickler for logic, huh Ash?" He teased.

Merely shooting the blond a look, Ashley presented herself to the other woman with a slow nod. "I'm.. Um.. Hello, miss." Was how she greeted the other. And Sac's smile became a bit softer.

"You can call me Sacajawea, Ashley." She reassured, reaching out a hand in offering of a handshake, which Ashley took gratefully.

"Sacajawea." The redhead repeated, her eyes looking over the other with clear amazement. "You're a lot prettier alive." She complimented, to which she was quick to add, "I mean, you're pretty dead, too!"

The native woman laughed as Ash continued to try correcting herself, and she looked to Chris to note, "She talks like you. Rambles a lot."

Chris immediately became flustered at the comment. "What? I don't ramble!" He defended, looking to the Pharaoh behind him for help.

Ahkmenrah had picked up his pace enough to step besides Chris once more. And, when Chris turned to him with silent help, Ahk just offered a shrug and smile. "You do." He admitted.

"C'mon man." Chris whined, "I'm smooth and..." He paused, then sighed out, "Yeah, you're right."

Ahkmenrah just smiled wider, and he gently nudged Chris with his arm. "It's endearing when you ramble." He commented, "You have a lot on your mind when you do. You just want to express it all at once."

The guard's cheeks and ears lit up and he adjusted his glasses. "Comes with the territory of being brilliant." He replied sarcastically, though his burst of nerves made it fall a bit flat.

Yet, the Pharaoh still laughed. "Yes, you are." He complimented.

Ashley, picking up on their conversation, turned with a raised eyebrow. "..Wow, will you two get a room." she joked.

Chris flushed a beet red and he shot a pointed look at Ashley, sarcastically replying, "Haha. Very funny."

Ashley just gave him a slight smirk. Ahk, however, looked to Chris at the comment. "Why should we get a room?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

The blond turned and felt his cheeks grow a bit warmer. "I. Well. Ashley is just trying to be funny. Not too good at jokes though." He forced a soft chuckle and glared at the girl in question.

"Joking." Ahk repeated, now glancing Ashley's way. "Perhaps if you explained it some, I'd be able to better see the humor in it?" He suggested, his curiosity growing.

Chris swore mentally and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "Well, uh. She made a joke that we're good friends, and...should go hang out alone in another area." He covered.

Ahkmenrah frowned in thought . "I apologize." he said, after a beat, "I don't see the humor."

Chris nodded with some relief, "I agree. She never has been very funny, always left the humor up to me." He nudged Ashley, narrowing his eyes a bit.

Ashley, in response, shoved him back. "Watch it. I get most of my humor from you." She shot back.

Chris put his hand to his chest as if he had been severely offended. "I am hurt. Comedy is one of the highest art forms and yet you still try to muck it up."

Ashley opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted before a noise left her mouth. "You know, Chris." Sac spoke up, placing a hand on the blond's shoulder, "There are only so many hours tonight that your friend can see the museum like this."

Chris looked over and blinked in realization. "Oh. Right." He turned back to Ash. "Ready to get moving? I know a few guys that would love to meet you."

Ashley smiled, looking back to the president and native woman to give them a short wave before she moved to follow Chris across the lobby - Ahk staying behind for a moment longer when Sacajawea beckoned him closer to speak with him. "You gonna try and set me up with an exhibit?" the redhead joked, much more at ease than before.

"Hey you may like 'em." He grinned. "They come in _short_ supply." His grin widened and he almost snorted from laughing at his own joke.

Ashley, however, looked to him with confusion. "What're you laughing about, dork?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just," He tried to hide his goofy smile. "There's just a _tiny_ chance that they may be a _little_ out of your league." Chris' shoulders shook as he tried to hold in his childish giggles, a snort managing to slip out as he continued to laugh at his own dumb jokes.

Chris' amusement was contagious, because Ashley smiled despite herself. "You're so bizarre."

The two turned down a corner, entering a shorter hallway, and Ashley all but stopped in her tracks when they did. "Chris," she muttered, her hand reaching for his arm as the other pointed down the hall, "a lion's out"

Chris turned his attention towards where Ashley had pointed to and sure enough, there was a lioness making her way down the hall. After a moment, two more slipped out from a doorway to join the other. Chris offered Ashley a reassuring smile and pulled her forward to continue. "Don't stare at 'em, Ash. They get pissy if you look them in the eye. Nearly got mauled my first night from doing it." He chuckled a bit as they walked past the large felines.

Ashley still clung to his arm, shrinking in on herself as they passed the three cats. "Will they eat us?" She asked, her voice quiet enough for only one of the lioness' to lift her head up at them. But, the animal's attention moved down to the other end of the hall when another voice peaked her interest.

"They can't eat. If you don't appear afraid, they'll leave you alone." Ahkmenrah hummed as he caught up to them, the lioness' prowling past - their own heads slightly lowering respectfully as they did.

Chris smiled at the Pharoah's reappearance, adding to his comment, "Unfortunately for me, on my first day I was pretty much going in blind and ran right into their exhibit."

Ahk smiled some at Chris' comment, taking easy steps behind the couple. Ashley's grip on the blond's arm loosened as the cats disappeared down another corner - seeming to forget the three individuals entirely. And, with a steady breath, she fell in step with the Pharaoh, "Where did you run off to?"

Ahk didn't reply to her directly, his gaze jumping to Chris, who yet to notice Ashley's disappearence, before settling on his tablet. "Sacajawea wanted some more information on you. She figured I would have answers."

Chris was none the wiser about their private conversation as he continued speaking, going on about his escapade through the Hall of African Animals: "-also, elephants are a lot meaner then you would think."

Ashley's focus was trained solely on Ahk, however - the two starting to trail further behind the Night Guard as he began to ramble. Lowering her voice back to a whisper, she looked to the Pharaoh curiously, "What did she want to know?"

Ahk visibly stiffened, "She's wary of you. We all are." He answered carefully, "We don't know you. We like to know about the people who we meet."

Narrowing her eyes some, Ashley spoke, "But you all trust Chris. I'm his friend."

"Is that all you are?" The words fell out of the King's mouth without a thought. The question surprising the both of them, Ashley behind a few steps as her brows furrowed and Ahk's jaw clenched shut. Neither spoke for the next few seconds - Chris' voice echoing through the hall, still carrying on about his first night. 

Eventually Ashley caught back up with the man and spoke up with a whispered, "Oh my God. Do you really think Chris and I-"

"I apologize. That was out of line." The Egyptian interrupts her, his eyes firmly set on the back of the Guard ahead of them.

"Were you upset?" She pushes.

"Over what?"

"Chris and I. You thought we were a thing."

"That's not of my concern."

"You were jealous."

Ahkmenrah stops in his tracks and whips around to face the girl. "I was _not_. I was curious of how close you both are, yes." The King dismisses her, his stare having gone cold once more, "But I understand that it's not something I should be concerning myself with. So please, stop pushing it."

Ashley does go quiet, her eyes flickering to Chris - who's still oblivious to their hushed argument. Ahk turned to follow Chris around a corner, taking her silence as the end of their conversation. But Ashley was never a good listener. "Was gay shit okay back then?" she suddenly asks. The blunt question has Ahk's head whipping around in surprise.

"I'm sorry?"

"Being gay," Ashley goes to clarify, "Was that a thing back then?"

Ahk's stunned silence just egged Ashley on, "Y'know like...guy's dating guys. Girls getting girls. Did that happen?"

The air between them grew tenser as Ahk's silence continues. He knows better than to continue the conversation - if Chris were to notice how the two of them had lagged far behind and walked in on their talk, well...

It was information Ahkmenrah would prefer he didn't know. So why he answered was beyond himself: "Of course it was."

Ashley smirks as if she'd won some battle, having pried that information from the other man. "So," she continues, and Ahk wishes in that moment that the tablet wasn't in his possession anymore. Because he knows where she's leading. And staying dead would have saved him this conversation and humiliation. "Were you ever involved in that? I'm sure you had some male suitors, right?"

Ahk lets out a warning, "Ashley," but the younger woman just continues, "I mean, you're not a bad lookin' guy, Ahk. There had to have been a good handful of guys and girls who were interested in you back then."

That's when the young King breaks, "I can assure you Ashley, Christopher and I-."

Before he could finish Ashley smugly cut in, "I never mentioned anything about Chris."

Ahkmenrah goes still, his knuckles white against the tablet in his hands. The silence that surrounded the two was deafening - causing neither of them to hear the quick echo of footsteps grow closer.

Chris rounded the corner looking extremely agitated. "Jesus Ash, you could at least tell me when I'm boring you instead of letting me go on for a good five minutes. The cavemen even laughed." He straightened his tie with a huff.

Ashley broke her and Ahk's staring contest when Chris appeared - a wide smile breaking across her face. "Sorry. Ahk was telling me a story. It was just a bit more interesting."

Chris narrowed his eyes and he puffed his cheeks out in annoyance before looking over to the king, who looked a bit sick. His expression of irritation quickly changed to worry. Walking up to Ahk and gently resting a hand on his forearm, Chris asked, "Hey man, are you okay?"

It took a moment longer for Ahk to snap from his daze of shock and realize Chris had been speaking to him. But he gathered himself and managed a smile. "I'm fine." He lied, feeling the pressure of Ashley's gaze on his back.

He breathed out a sigh of relief as Ashley distracted Chris with, "Chris, aren't there men I should be with right now?"

Chris tore his gaze from the Pharaoh and replied, "Right. Your men. Right this way." He flashed Ahk a smile before leading them into the miniatures room. Ashley shot Ahk one last look before the two moved forward - one that spoke volumes to Ahk: She won't tell him about their little talk. At least, that's what the King hoped she was silently telling him.

* * *

 

Chris glanced back to Ashley as they neared the opening to the miniature's room, and Ashley was still unsure of where they were heading.

"Take care of where you step." He beamed as they entered the room. But he stopped short as he was met with the exhibit in chaos. The entire room was filled with miniatures from the Western and Roman areas in an all out war. The sounds of hundreds of little figures yelling was almost deafening. Chris' gaze swept around the room in horror. He had never seen them behave like this. He frowned as he noted that neither Jedidiah or Octavius were to be seen. Probably out cruising around together again, he thought to himself.

Which meant...

He searched the room and found the two miniatures that were to blame. Two lone figures stood on top of the bench that sat in the middle of the room. Mike and Matthew. Matt had his sword drawn and lunged towards the cowboy only to have Mike's fist collide with his jaw - his sword skidding off the edge of their perch. In turn Matt tackled the man and grabbed him in a headlock. Chris didn't know what to do and honestly he was starting to panic. He hadn't had any issues in the museum yet and he wasn't all too sure if miniatures could even kill one another.

Ashley, meanwhile, looked around the room in amusement. "Wow, Chris." She chuckled, patting the Guard's shoulder. Ahkmenrah took a step into the room, looking down at the miniature soldiers. A handful of them - both Western and Roman - who were closer to the doors halted their activity at the sight of the Pharaoh. But the rest of the room had seemed oblivious to his presence.

With the stress of his confrontation with Ashley already weighing heavy on him, his tone came out harsher than he intended when he called out, "Enough!"

Chris found himself jumping at the command, a shiver running through his body - not a bad one either, he noted. The room came to a stand still, faces all turning to Ahkmenrah. Chris could feel his heart beat quicken and his mouth go dry as he stared at the man, butterflies ramming into the sides of his gut. The way he had taken control of the situation was not only impressive but... down right attractive. As a flurry of impure thoughts assaulted his mind, Chris looked away quickly in an effort to hide his now growing flush.

Ahkmenrah took no notice; his focus was only on the figures before him. The museum was, in a sense, his kingdom. The exhibits would listen to him, no matter who they may be. So the miniatures moved aside without question as the man made his way to the bench, eyes narrowing at the two leaders - who currently had their heads bowed. Either with respect, or to avoid making eye contact.

Like children who've been caught, the young King thought.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, earning a flinch from the roman. When neither answered, he added, "I would think fighting would be above your people, now."

Matthew was the first to step forward, kneeling in a show of respect. "Michael was going to put our community at risk. I could not allow him to do so."

The cowboy was quick to defend himself, however. He took a step forward, passed Matthew, and spoke, "He's bein' nit-picky, is what it is. We all woulda been fine." He insisted.

The roman stood and and grabbed the cowboys shoulder, making the deputy face him. "You were being reckless, Michael. You could have gotten hurt."

Mike straightened his posture in an attempt to make himself seem taller. "So? You ain't the boss of me, Matthew. I am a grown man, I think can do what I want!"

With a huff, Ahkmenrah lowered himself to better see the leaders. "Neither of you are answering my question. Why are you fighting?"

Matthew turned to Ahkmenrah. "I apologize. I engaged Michael in combat due to his grand idea of attempting to ride one of the lions."

All of the Egyptian's anger seemed to disappear at that answer. He blinked, unsure he had heard the words correctly. "A lion?" he repeated.

"Yeah!" Mike responded, "I mean, how cool would that be? Bet they're faster than a horse!"

The young King straightened up, looking at the two with surprise before turning to look back at Chris. "I believe this is your department." His tone having softened to his usual, calming one.

Chris looked over, a hint of pink still lingering on his cheeks. "Right..." He fidgeted with his glasses before walking over and squatting down to be eye level with the two men. "Sorry, what's going on?"

"If you weren't making heart eyes for the past few minutes then you would've known." Ashley called from where she lingered in the doorway, "But the southern one wanted to ride the lions."

Chris tensed up and glared at his friend as she approached, his cheeks heated up for the hundredth time that night. "Ashley I swear-" He began to hiss before he was abruptly cut off by the two miniatures.

"We did not know we were expecting a guest tonight! We are very sorry you had to witness this." Matthew stepped forward, removing his helmet and smiling up at the newcomer.

Ashley stepped forward and knelt down besides Chris, smiling down at the Roman. "Well, aren't you just adorable." She commented, glancing Chris' way, "Are these the men you were talking about?"

Chris nodded. "This here is Matthew, second in command next to Octavius." Matthew in turn bowed and beamed up at Ashley. "And that's Mike. Deputy to Jedidiah."  
"Had no idea any of these guys had names." She mentioned, reaching forward to tap the hat atop Mike's head - which the cowboy quickly fixed it before it fell forward, and off his head.

Matthew snickered at Mike's struggle, earning himself a punch in the arm. Chris simply hummed. "You guys seriously need to get yourselves together." He ran his fingers through his hair with an exasperated sigh. "I'll be telling Jed and Oct about this and let them decide your consequences."

That had the deputy's eyes widening. "Oh, don't do that! What if he has my title taken?" Mike started, but Ahk lifted his hand to silence the complaint.

"You know well enough that your job when Jedidiah is gone is to protect and keep peace. Do you believe I would have kept my title if I had failed to protect and help my people as you did today?" The cowboy shook his head without much thought. "Then prove to me," Ahk pauses for a moment, glancing to Chris, "to us, that you can both serve your communities properly."

Chris felt a wave of warmth wash over him as Ahk included him and he nodded to the men. "I've seen what you two can do. If you show us that you won't be causing any more problems then I'm sure Jed and Oct will be much more understanding. I'll be checking back in with you all at the end of the night and if I don't see this all cleaned up we're gonna have a talk. Cool?"

Both deputy and roman nod their heads at Chris' words, Mike commenting, "Yeah, cool. It's all cool," he looks to Matthew and asks, "We're cool?"

Matthew sighed and nodded. "We are cool."

Chris smiled. "Great. And Mike?"

The man in question lifted his head up to the blond.

"Don't try riding the lions."

The brunet opened his mouth to protest, but Ashley was quick to comfort, "I mean, even though it would be cool, riding one."

"It's dangerous." Ahkmenrah finished.

Matthew looked over at his friend smugly as Chris stood and stretched a bit. "Alright gang, let's get this show on the road!" He grinned as he heard Ashley audibly groan at his attempt at humor.

"Gang." Ahk simply repeats, smiling a bit as he sounds the word out. Chris seemed to like the word. So Ahk liked it, too.

Chris smiled as Ahkmenrah tested out the word and he wiggled his eyebrows at Ashley. "See? I'm good for him."

"You're horrible for him." She corrects - though she looked over at Ahk with a smile.

As the trio made their way through the rest of the museum Ashley found herself in an interesting position that honestly? She never quite thought she'd ever witness. She was almost like a third wheel to a centuries old pharaoh, and even more unheard of, to Chris. She hung back as the two men took point as they meandered through the various exhibits. Chris and Ahkmenrah seemed to be too involved in their own conversation to notice, not that she minded.

It gave her time to to think about everything that happened today. A museum come to life. Any other person may have freaked out and turned tail. But when she looked at Chris - the same boy she met in freshmen year of high school who had struggled with bullying, self confidence, and social anxiety for his entire academic career - interact with the countless of historic figures with such ease and then talk about his job with such passion, it was incredible.

And then there was the Pharaoh. Ashley found her gaze shifting to the man in the golden robes. It was obvious Chris felt comfortable with him. She had never seen him open up to anyone so freely since, well, herself. It was also obvious how much he had fallen for the other man. She'd never seen him blush so much in such a short amount of time. He clung to every word the Egyptian spoke and whenever the other would give him any sort of attention he would do one of the several nervous ticks Ashley had noted over the years. Fingers through hair, fidget with glasses, straighten his uniform. It was really cute to be honest, she only hoped that Ahkmenrah thought so too. He showed promise during their brief interrogation earlier. There was a certain fondness she saw that Ahk had for Chris. But she'd be damned if she let her best friend be crushed by some hot magic mummy if she could help it.

Her thoughts were broken when a hand waved inches from her eyes.

"Hello? Earth to Ash." Chris smirked down at her. "You still in there? I said we need to start heading out soon. Got about," He checked his watch. "fifteen minutes until dawn."

Ashley blinked and looked around and realized the halls had become a lot emptier than before. "Are you gonna do some last check or something?" She asked which made Chris' smirk grow.

"I already did, while we were walking around. Or were you too busy in Ashleyland to notice?" He teased which earned him a smack against his shoulder.

"Alright, alright. Gonna go say goodnight to your boyfriend?" Her voice lowered just enough for Chris to hear, which resulted in his cheeks becoming beet red. Chris scoffed and turned on his heel to face Ahkmenrah, deciding to ignore the comment.

The Pharaoh was preoccupied with placing his tablet back in it's place against the wall when he heard Chris stepping forward. And, once he was sure it was safe, he turned to face the blond with a bright smile. He always did. "Should we be expecting another visitor tomorrow night?" He teased.

Chris smiled a bit and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nah. Ash probably needs a bit to adjust."

"Well," Ahk continued, "She was...interesting to have around. There was only one person Larry would bring to visit. But it's been months since we've seen him."

Chris' smile faltered a bit as he furrowed his brow curiously. "Thats weird. I don't think I'd ever want to leave this place." His voice drifted off a bit as he looked around the room thoughtfully.

"Nicky was growing up." Ahk admitted, "And he was growing up around magic. It must lose the amazement after a few years."

The night guard hummed and leaned against one of the pillars. "I could come here for the rest of my life."

Ahkmenrah smiled some. "I'm sure you'd grow wary of this place within a decade."

"Not if you're here to keep me company. Though you'd probably tire of me first." Chris smiled playfully.

Ducking his head at the compliment, the Pharaoh countered, "I truly doubt that, Chris."

There was another beat before he raised his gaze to meet the blond's eyes, "You're unlike anyone I met in the past."

Chris blinked and fidgeted with his glasses. "Oh?" He tried to play off the sudden butterflies in his gut. "Why? Were they not as suave as me?" He went to rest his elbow against the pillar to look cool but missed it and stumbled a bit - managing to smack himself in the face and knock his glasses off.

Ahkmenrah lifted a hand to muffle his laugh as the scene occurred; though he immediately reached out to help Chris. "Truly unlike anyone I've met." He repeated, picking up the other's glasses to fit them back into place. Though, he did pause when he went to pull his hands back, his gaze locking with Chris'.

Chris held still to allow the other to place the frames back. His heart began thudding against his ribs at the realization of how close the two were now. As blue eyes met pale green he felt his breath catch in his throat. Oh man, he was in deep.

It was Ahkmenrah who ended up pulling away first, though, dropping his hands to his sides with another smile. "You alright?"

Chris nodded quickly and regained the ability to breathe again. "I- yeah. Just, " He cleared his throat nervously. "yeah, I'm okay." He looked at the Pharaoh with slightly rosy cheeks.

Ahk opened his mouth as if he was ready to speak again, but Ashley's voice rang out before he could. "Chris!" She called, "It's five fifty-seven!"

Chris looked over his shoulder. "Alright, alright! I'm comin'!" He called back before turning back to Ahkmenrah. "I'll, uh, see ya tomorrow?"

Ahkmenrah had his back turned, as he was heading back to his sarcophagus, but he did spare Chris one more glance. With a smile, he nodded in agreement, "Of course. Tomorrow."

* * *

 

Chris made his way out of the room and caught up with Ashley. After making sure the remaining of the exhibits made it back to their rightful place he changed into his normal clothes. Letting out a long yawn, Chris led his friend down the steps as the first rays of the sun touched the building.

However, their journey home came to a halt by one individual who was clambering up the steps.

"Night guard!" McPhee called out, and Chris felt his gut wrench with anxiety at the sight of the man. They had only spoken once before, the morning after Chris' first night. And Chris would love nothing more than to avoid speaking with him again. The odds were clearly not in his favor.

"Night guard," the older man repeated, his words a bit winded once he had reached the top of the steps, "I've been trying to get a hold of you all night!"

Surprised, Chris glanced to Ashley as he commented, "Sorry. I was a bit busy."

And, with a smile, Ashley gave the director a wave. One that went completely ignored. "I don't care what you two were doing." He shook his head, "Have more pressing matters on my mind," With a daring glare, he then added, "like a Guard who refuses to respond to twenty texts and calls!"

Chris wasn't willing to take his phone from his pocket to check that fact. When McPhee was only met with silence, he decided to continue, "So, I suppose I'll just ask you now, while I have you. Are you available for both day and night shifts this week?"

At the question, the blond's eyes widened some. "The whole week?" He asked, "I mean, I might. But, why?"

McPhee mumbled under his breath before he answers, "For the new exhibits!"

That had both Chris and Ashley exchange looks. "New exhibits?" They both repeated, as if their minds were synchronized. New characters or creatures. In the museum that comes to life. Just great.

"Can I ask from where?" Chris asked after a beat, and McPhee lets out a dramatic sigh that nearly shakes his entire body.

"The Smithsonian is allowing their Greek exhibits over and," Then the man pauses, as if talking to Chris was too much effort, a hand lifting to run through his combed hair, "all this information is in the texts. Just make sure your phone is on at all times, please?"

Without waiting for a response, the director pushed his way through the museum's doors, and Chris is left staring at the doors the man gone through. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, Ashley leaned into his line of sight with a mischievous smile, "Looks like somebody has some homework to do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greeks and Geeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So given that school is finished for the both of us, updates will be coming sooner. Right now, we may set a pattern for a monthly update, but that could always change. We've also been noticing a few people recommending this fic to others, and it makes us explode with absolute joy that people deem this story worthy enough to be shown to others. We love you guys, we really do!

Chris hurried into the warm lobby filled with patrons, brushing off some snow flakes that had fallen upon his head and shoulders. McFee had called to inform him that the Greek exhibits had been delivered early that morning, so he arrived an hour before his shift to get a good look at what - no, _who_ \- he would have to deal with for the next month. After Chris had announced to the museum of the new arrivals, he was surprised to see that everyone was actually quite excited to meet them. Ahk later informed him that it was a rare occasion when new exhibits came to visit.

* * *

 

Chris followed the signs that directed guests towards the new section, finding that the arrivals had been placed in one of the empty rooms the museum had set aside for events such as this. As he looked around the room, he found that it mostly focused on the mythological creatures featured in ancient Greek literature. Making his rounds slowly, Chris would stop and read every single name plate and look up their coinciding information on his phone to better prepare himself for the night.

The first was a marble statue of what he had thought was Medusa; yet after reading the plate in front, he learned that it was simply just a gorgon - a fearsome looking woman with snakes for hair and a long scaly tail coiled beneath her. On closer inspection he noticed that the woman seemed to look of Asian descent, with a little birthmark above her brow. Chris made a mental note to be wary of her once the night begun when the internet taught him that they were deathly silent and most known for turning men to stone when they pleased. He prayed that this wouldn't be the case, seeing as the creature wasn't the real deal.

There were a few paintings depicting other creatures and heroes from Greek culture along the opposite wall: A three headed dog, a Minotaur, and three god-like men who Chris immediately recognized as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. The blond wasn't entirely sure how they would be affected by the tablet. After spending a few minutes with each, he headed to the final two exhibits. A small section of land with a single tree and other foliage spread about caught Chris' attention first, and he found himself drawn to a young elfish woman who was peering out from behind the tree. Her sandy colored hair was pulled back in a bun, and she wore a green top that stopped above her stomach. A skirt draped low around her hips. A single golden band was wrapped around her forehead beneath her bangs, and he could see ivy leaves wrapped around the girl's right arm. Beneath her bare feet were the beginnings of little forest flowers.

Chris let his gaze slip passed the forest to the small chunk of ocean that the land sloped into. In the middle of the water was a mermaid perched on a rock. Her arms were reaching up to touch the long blonde braids that hung on either side of her soft cheeks. Her blue eyes were gazing off, seeming to have a sultry gaze to them. Chris wrote that off as his imagination. He glanced down at the plaque set up before the exhibit:

"A forest nymph (Samantha) and a siren (Zessica)."

Chris stayed in front of that particular exhibit, eyes dancing between the two women inside as he tried to imagine what they'd be like come nightfall. Then a voice broke through his daze, "Never seen these two before."

Chris practically jumped right out of his skin, not having noticed the other man approach his side moments prior. Larry Daley kept his own stare on the two wax statues. "We never had new exhibits show up when I was here. Don't think I can give you much advice when it comes to this." He continued on.

Chris had his hand clasped to his heart to try and stop it from pounding so hard. "You scared the hell outta me!" He breathed.

Larry just flashed him a smug grin, finally turning his full attention to Chris. "I'd think you'd be used to surprises by now," he teased, voice considerably lowering as more visitors took places besides the two men. "So, you're liking the new job?" Larry asked, taking a few steps away from the exhibit to wander around the others.

Chris followed him and smiled a bit. "It's amazing, Larry. Fucking incredible." He murmured.

"Told you you'd love it." The other nodded, pausing to stop in front of the portrait of the Gods. "No one's been giving you a hard time, right? I tried to give them all a heads up the night before you started."

Chris shook his head and pushed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Nah. It was bit hectic the first night with Rexy, Atilla, and Ahk but it's all fine now."

"Did Atilla chase you through the halls?"

Chris scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah. I fell right on my ass. He and his buddies thought it was riot."

"That's just how he says hello." Larry let out a bit of laughter, moving on to another piece of art as more visitors began to gather around the portraits.

"I know that now." Chris sighed with a grin. "Teddy and Sac have both been a huge help, so has Jed and Octavius." He smiled a bit to himself. "And Ahkmenrah showed me around a bit too so it kinda feels...it feels like home."

"You got the guy to like you on the first night?" The older man asked, glancing at Chris only briefly before he was moving over to the other side of the room. "Gotta say that's a bit of a surprise. Takes him a while to start trusting people."

"I don't think he really liked me the first night. But he came around after a couple of days." He beamed at the older man. "He's really funny. Dark sometimes, but he's great."

"Expected to hear that from you. The Egyptology major would have nothing but good things to say about the Pharaoh." Larry sighed out, wandering up to the large statue of the Gorgon, "I mean, you were completely fawning over the guy's coffin alone. You're probably in love with him by now." He added, looking up at the creature with a small, worried frown.

Chris flushed a bit at the comment and cleared his throat. "Yeah." He scratched the back of his head and looked up at the Gorgon again. "I-I mean, he's cool."

When Larry looked to Chris again, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Are you blushing?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"W-What?" Chris tried holding Larry's stare before looking off. "'S' just warm in here." He defended quickly.

Larry, of course, didn't buy that. Instead, the older man rolled his eyes and grabbed the sleeve of Chris' shirt, dragging him out into the hall and away from the museum's visitors. "Do not tell me that you like him." Before Chris could reply he was adding, "Chris, don't do that. Don't do this to yourself."

Chris looked down and shrugged a bit, scuffing his shoe against the floor. His cheeks burning a deeper red than before. To anyone passing by, this may have looked like a father berating his son. When the blond refused to look him in the eyes, Larry let out a frustrated sigh before continuing, his voice lowered to barely above a whisper, "Chris he's literally a mummy. He's _dead_."

Chris lifted his head then, frowning. "I get that, I do. I'm not stupid." He snapped back, his own voice a whisper.

Larry searched the other's face, as if staring long enough would just convince Chris to end this crush he had. But when Chris matched his stare for a good couple of seconds, Larry gave in first, his gaze moving to a group that moved past them to get into the new exhibit's room. "I...I know you aren't stupid, Chris." He muttered, "Just be aware of what you're getting into, here."

Chris ran fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh. "I know I shouldn't. But it's not like he likes me back anyway. It's just harmless flirting." He huffed.

" _Harmless_." Larry repeated, disbelief obvious in his tone, "Yeah, sure. Harmless. I've done a lot of 'harmless' things in my life, Chris. And they all eventually lead to someone getting hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt him, Larry." Chris looked at the old night guard with a hint of anger, but was clearly troubled by what the other was saying.

"Didn't say he'd be the one getting hurt." Larry almost immediately shot back. Silence settled then, his words hanging in the air. And neither man made a move until the silence started to grow too uncomfortable, and Larry's shoulders slouched forward in a defeated stance. "Focus on the job here, okay? All the exhibits here are counting on you to keep them safe. Keep your focus on that, alright?"

Chris crossed his arms and glared at the floor for a few moments before nodding slowly. When he did so, Larry mimicked and nodded back before glancing over his shoulder to take a look at the Greek Exhibits again. "Good luck, tonight." He said in parting, walking around Chris to start back down the hall and to the lobby.

* * *

It took a bit longer for Chris to finish getting ready for his shift that night, often becoming distracted from thinking about his encounter with Larry he had earlier. He emerged from the night guard office about 5 minutes after sunset and he looked around the lobby, finding it empty. In fact, he noted, he couldn't even hear any sort of conversation from the halls that branched off. He became uneasy and called out in confusion, "Hello? Where is everyone?"

His voice echoed through the empty museum, gut twisting with some worry. The only one to respond to his call was Rexy, who emerged from a hall he'd wandered into. Chris patted the skeleton's muzzle when he leaned down, tail wagging happily as usual; but finding Rexy alone wasn't the same familiar routine the blond was so use to. Most nights Jedidiah and Octavius spent their time with the dino, leading him on a chase throughout the several halls in their remote car. Those two figures were not around.

Chris frowned and bit his lip before looking up at the dinosaur. "Hey Rexy. You know where Ahk is?"

Hearing the Pharaoh's name made the fossil raise his head up towards the steps in one wordless gesture. Chris looked to where Rexy had motioned to and stroked his nose. "Thanks buddy." He began walking towards the stairs before stopping short, relief flooding his chest as the Pharaoh in question made his way down the staircase. Chris couldn't help but stare; Ahk looked so fucking good as his golden cape billowed gently behind him. And the smile he always wore was gonna be the death of Chris. The blond shook his head gently to try and clear his thoughts. "Hey Ahk. I was a bit late getting ready, did I miss somethin'?"

The Pharaoh's steps slowed on his descent, his smiling expression dropping to one of slight confusion as he replied, "I was coming to ask you the same. The halls are far too quiet, tonight."

Chris furrowed his brows in thought. "You'd think Teddy would at least let us know if something was happening." He muttered in thought, pushing up his glasses. He looked to where Teddy usually woke from, but there was no sign of the president. "I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"Perhaps the best option is just to search?" Ahk offered when he reached the end of the stairs, "They must be somewhere."

Chris nodded nervously and made his way over to Ahkmenrah, beginning to lead them both through the museum hall which led to the miniatures. _There's gotta be someone there,_  Chris told himself, but his gut wrenched when they entered the room and found the usual bustling cities vacant. Not a soul.

Then they heard it. It was soft and sweet, echoing off the walls and just barely reaching their ears. It was singing.

Ahkmenrah had heard it first. As Chris had begun stepping inside the eerily empty room, Ahk had stayed back near the doorway. The voice trailed through the hall, very faint, but still endearing nonetheless. Ahk had turned his head in it's direction, eyes narrowing with some suspicion as his hand reached out to grip the fabric on Chris' sleeve. "Chris," he started.

"Yeah. I hear it too." He reassured as he began creeping down the hall that led to where the Greek exhibits were being kept, the singing growing louder. It was an old sea shanty, from what Chris could tell. He remained close to Ahk, nerves eating at him. When they entered the room however, he was filled with relief when he saw that every single male exhibit had jammed themselves inside, all crowded as close to the siren as possible. It was clear that the source of the tune was from her.

" _My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,_  
_There is nothing that can console me,_  
_But my Jolly sailor bold_..."

The siren was still perched on her rock, re-braiding her hair and casting seductive glances throughout the crowd as she sang. Chris noticed with amusement that the entire miniature community was present, along with Atilla and his men, and Teddy; all who were staring at the mermaid like lovesick puppies. Chris also noted that the female exhibits were in the back of the room and were either highly amused or insanely jealous.

Ahk, meanwhile, was far from entertained. He was more on edge than anything; he knew the new exhibits would be arriving soon. But to have one of the newcomers captivate his people so easily was anything less than comforting. "What's going on?" He questioned aloud, taking a few steps ahead of Chris, looking through the crowd in hopes someone would break from their daze.

Neither men was aware of the figure that quietly slithered through the shadows. As the Pharaoh spoke, the Gorgon slid behind the two, her tail coiling beneath her to gain more of a height advantage. She announced her presence then, enjoying the scare she gave the two when she spoke, "She's luring her prey. It's what they do."

"They?" Repeated Ahkmenrah, who had easily recomposed himself - compared to Chris who was keeping his gaze firmly on the floor as he tried to calm his frantic beating heart - and turned to face the snake-woman fully. The Gorgon's sharp smile merely widened, her attention briefly returning to the singing woman.

"Sirens. No man can resist her song." She replied, though her eyes snapped back to the two in front of her, "Or...at least most men, it seems."

Chris risked a glance up and regretted it immediately. Despite being made of stone, the Gorgon was terrifying. Her marble snakes hissed and occasionally lashed out at the two men. Chris' fear of snakes was really not helping his situation, right now. He immediately looked down at the floor again and clenched his jaw before speaking shakily. "Y-you...you said prey. Will she hurt any of them?"

The Gorgon's head snapped to the blond, grinning wider at the obvious fear in his tone. She slid forward, answering his question as she begun to circle around him, "I doubt it. She's probably loving the attention. Sirens play with their food too much."

Chris felt his body shake a bit as his hands tightened into fists, he squeezed his eyes tighter, his anxiety making it difficult to breath.

"Gorgons, though." She paused, her body now having almost encircled the man, was close enough to see him start to shake, "We make it nice and _quick_."

Ahkmenrah interrupted at that point, reaching out to grab Chris' arm and tug him back to his side. Chris felt his gut jump to his throat when he was pulled away, afraid that the Gorgon had grabbed him. But when he glanced up to see the Pharaoh was significantly closer, he took Ahkmenrah's arm tightly and tried to control his breathing. "You seem to like to play games, too." The young king noted, a bit proud to see the woman's sly grin drop to a scowl.

The song behind them faded off, and suddenly the spell was broken. All of the men around the three were blinking, looking around in confusion. The Gorgon's attention broke away from the two men, gaze snapping to the group that was starting to disperse from the siren's exhibit.

"Playtime's over..." She muttered bitterly, slipping back into the shadows of the room. Ahkmenrah didn't release Chris from his hold until he had lost sight of the creature, his body relaxing a bit as he apologetically smoothed down the wrinkles he'd created against the Pharoah's sleeve.

"Are you alright? You were as white as a ghost." Ahk frowned.

"I...yeah. I, uh. I'm afraid of snakes." Chris admitted softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Kinda embarrassing."

A smile tugged at the young king's lips before glancing to the now-uncrowded enclosure. Though there were a few men that remained behind, the majority were turning to leave the exhibit - Attila and his men looking around as if they hadn't had a clue as to where they were. Teddy was returning to Sac, apologizing profusely for his behavior.  
The siren was talking to the several men who stuck behind, all gushing over her looks and singing; one even professing his undying love, the mermaid was disinterested however, and forced a sweet smile for the group of men.

"Thank you boys, but I'd like to return to my ocean if you wouldn't mind." She pressed, and they all soon left the more she persisted. Except for Columbus, who simply stepped closer, babbling in his native tongue about ' _amore_ ' with a few butchered English words such as ' _forever_ ' and ' _marriage_ '.

Zessica, in turn, smirked. "Why don't we see if your metal floats, since you're so keen on staying?" Her voice had darkened, but her smile remained. The threat was enough to have the explorer stumble back and make a quick exit.

Ahkmenrah stood aside as the traveler rushed past him, sharing a look with Chris before their gaze went back to the enclosure - the two of them now a bit hesitant to get any closer. Though, Ahk did move forward first when his eyes caught sight of the individual who shared the siren's space; the forest nymph with golden hair, who was watching the fish-tailed woman with boredom.

"Was that necessary?" She questioned, sitting at the edge of their enclosure; though the pedestal that held it up was risen up far too high for her to try and get down on her own. So she settled for dangling her feet.

"You heard those pigs, Sam. They don't take a hint." Zessica sighed and propped her arms up on the beach, her cheek resting on her arms.

Chris followed Ahk and cleared his throat, getting the attention of the two women. "Sorry to interrupt but we wanted to introduce ourselves."

Zessica rolled her eyes a bit, assuming they were there for her. "Is that so?"

The nymph - Sam - just huffed in response, bringing her legs back up from where they'd been. "Sorry boys, we aren't interested." She replied, moving to stand back up and return to her half of the exhibit.

Ahkmenrah frowned at their responses, clearing his throat as he instead tried, "If I may, it'd only be respectful to welcome visitors to my kingdom."

"Your kingdom?" Zessica laughed in disbelief. "This guy's got an ego, doesn't he?" She looked over at her friend.

Chris frowned and stepped forward. "Look, we just wanted to talk to you guys. No trouble or creepy advances. This is gonna be your home for the rest of the month, might as well be friendly, right?" The mermaid simply snorted in response and rested her head back on her arms.

Sam looked to the blonde and responded with a warning, "Zess..." Then she was looking back to the two men, "Making friends isn't really our strong suit."

"Maybe we should work on that then?" Chris offered and smiled. "I'm Chris. I'm the night guard, here."

Zessica mumbled under her breath stubbornly, refusing to look at the men. Ahk looked to the siren, straightening his posture just slightly as he spoke up, "And I am Ahkmenrah. Forth King of the Forth King...and the reason you are all alive."

Sam looked over curiously. "You?"

"My tablet, to be very specific." He nodded, "It breathes life to all in this museum. If I wasn't here, none of this would be possible."

"You mean," Zessica chimes in, "we weren't _alive_ before now?"

"That's a lie." Sam immediately claims, "I remember things. I know who I am, who Zess is. If we were dead, how do we have these memories?"

"It's complicated." Chris starts. But Ahk picks up the rest of his answer.

"You have no true memories. What you believe you remember are merely thoughts drawn up by what you see around you, in your environments. And what you see and hear from others. But," He pauses, "I am the only one to have true memories. I am the only person here who lived and died. What you think you know is merely fabricated by what you've seen."

Sam looked down at her companion exchanged a look, and then turned back to the two. Seeing the wordless exchange, Ahk shifted before he offered, "I could show you, if you don't believe me."

The corner of Sam's lips turned up into a slight smirk, humming softly before reaching her hand down and replying, "Alright. Show me."

Chris raised an eyebrow as Ahkmenrah took the nymphs hand gently and helped her down. "Want me to come with?" Chris offered.

The Pharaoh looked to Chris as Sam steadied herself and he offered the other a gentle smile. "We're just going to my room. I think we will be okay."

Chris couldn't help but feel his heart ache a bit at the comment and nodded. "Yeah alright. I'll be...down here if you need me, then."

"And I'll just stay here since, y'know, I can't go anywhere." Zessica flicked her blue tail out of the water with a sigh. "Tell me what happens when you get back, Sam!" She called out as the nymph disappeared down the hall with the Egyptian. "Nymphs rarely ever show interest in humans. How odd." She murmured to herself before sinking back into the water to help hoist herself up on the beach.

Chris left the exhibit room with an odd feeling of envy filling his chest.

* * *

Matthew watched as Chris walked past them, noting the troubled expression on the night guard's face.

"What do you think is up with him?" The roman looked over at his western companion, who was a bit too busy peering out from behind a potted plant that he had dragged them both behind after the siren's spell had broken. The cowboy's gaze was transfixed on the blonde woman sitting on the sand, watching the water ripple around her tail as she moved it back in forth. "Micheal? Hello?" Matthew tried again.

It took the roman three tries until he'd managed to pull Mike's attention away from the siren, almost believing the western man was still under some spell. Mike was quick to disregard the claim. "I'm fine," He promised, glancing back over his shoulder to the Greek room. "Just...God, ain't she beautiful?"

His tone wasn't one the roman was familiar with and he wasn't sure he liked it. Mike's voice sounded too light; his expression softer than Matt had bared witness to see. He'd never looked at another individual the way he was looking at this blonde stranger.

"Well. I suppose she is." Matt frowned a bit, glancing over at the mermaid. "But, she has to be so she can drown men." He reminded his friend. "You heard what she said to Columbus, Mike."

"Ah," The other waved Matt off, moving back to his position of leaning out from behind the potted plant, peaking inside the room once more. "Just a threat. We make threats at each other all the time."

"Yes, but we aren't creatures known for capsizing entire ships for the fun of it." The roman warned, crossing his arms.

Mike shot the other a skeptical look, before nodding his head in the siren's general direction. "You saw 'er, Matty. She's too gorgeous to actually harm someone."

"That's how they get you!" Matt rubbed his face in frustration. "Their whole purpose is to murder, Michael! C'mon, Jed and Oct are probably waiting." He grabbed a hold of the man's arm to try and tug him away. And though he was extremely hesitant to follow willingly, Matt's tugs and pulls on his arm did eventually beat out Mike's stubbornness.

Only for a certain amount of time, though.

The following night, the western was doing the tugging as he made Matt trail him back down the huge, winding halls until they'd reached the opening of the Greek exhibits again - arriving to find Zessica alone once more, the other creature that shared her enclosure was gone again.

Zessica was mostly submerged, her arms folded on the edge of her exhibit, her cheek resting on them as she hummed sweetly to herself. Her eyes were closed and her tail lazily swished back and forth out of the water.

"What are we doing here, Mike?" Matt groaned as he was tugged to a new hiding spot: behind a bench leg. And much closer to the aquatic creature than previously.

"You're here because you decided to befriend me. So you're partially responsible for my decisions." Mike replied without missing a beat, though his eyes were drawn back to the blonde woman and for the second night in a row. He found himself leaning against the leg of the bench with a gentle smile appearing on his lips. "...I don't see how you can't just see how beautiful she is, Matty." He added on, "Could probably be a damn goddess for all we know."

Matt ran his fingers through his dark curls, leaning against the wood with a sigh. "I'm not really into murderous sea creatures, thank you."

"You ain't into anyone." Mike huffed, his words muffled under his breath. Conversations were cut short after that with Mike's attention fully on Zessica, watching the way she dove under the water for moments at a time, only to rise and brush her hair back; it took him a while to realize she was trying to redo her hair's style. And all be damned, even just watching her untangle her hair was elegant.

Matt waited around quietly for a solid ten minutes before becoming impatient. "If you're so infatuated by her, why don't you go talk to her?"

Mike was pulled out of his little trance at the question, his smile dropping immediately. "Well," he started, his mind reeling for an excuse until he came up with, "Matt, she's doin' her hair. It's rude to interrupt."

He raised an eyebrow and a ghost of a smirk appeared on his face. "So how about when she is done?" He pushed.

Mike fell quiet again, setting his jaw tight as he thought over a proper response. "I don't want things to seem like I was watchin' her and waitin' for her to finish."

"That's what you've been these past two days." Matt grinned, enjoying seeing his friend drop his charming facade.

"I don't want her to _know_ that." Mike whined back.

"I'm not really giving you a choice anymore." Matt threatened playfully, stepping forward. "Either you go out there yourself or I make you."

Mike turned away from Zessica to see Matt take a step forward, suddenly taking his threat very seriously. "You wouldn't."

"You want to bet, cowboy?" He rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles with a grin. "Are you scared?"

Mike eyed the roman carefully, suspicion and some fear evident in his expression. He scoffed at the question, though, straightening his posture a bit more to size up to the other. "'M' never scared."

"Great! So then you're ready." Matt seized his friend firmly by the shoulders and gave a hard shove, sending him flying out from the hiding spot. He leaned out and gave a loud whistle for good measure before dipping back behind the bench.

Zessica's head immediately lifted at the strange, high pitched noise. When she scanned the room she spotted a small figure on the floor and, with a raised eyebrow, she leaned out of her enclosure a bit to get a better look.

Mike had half a mind to rush back to the roman. But, realizing just where he was, the brunet froze up; already feeling the siren's gaze on him.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Can I help you?"

Mike couldn't look Zessica in the eye. He didn't think he could look up at her in the first place. "Well, I, uh," He stumbled out, lowering his hat a bit in hopes to cover his blush. "You're just...you, um..."

Zessica narrowed her eyes but smirked. "Beautiful? Radiant? Breath taking?" She offered cynically. She'd heard it all before.

Mike lowered his head some more, clearing his throat before he could respond. "Well, I mean, yeah. But.. You're also interestin'."

The siren lips parted in surprise, but she covered it up by pursing her lips tightly together. "Interesting?" Her voice had a hint of disbelief.

When she didn't push him away or threaten as she had with the previous men that visited her enclosure, Mike felt some confidence rise in his chest. Looking up from under his hat, he swallowed thickly as he took a step forward, "Yeah. You're interestin'. Never seen a woman quite like you."

She shrugged a bit, but was a little more than flattered at the compliment. "Oh?" Zessica peered down at the cowboy from under her eyelashes.

Her gaze was enough to make Mike shrink back just slightly, though he continued with, "You're...gorgeous, no doubt 'bout it. But you're also terrifying."

Playing with her hair she hummed. "Yes. That usually keeps others away." The siren peered over again with a soft smirk.

"...Well, you don't see me runnin' for the hills, now do ya?" Mike replied, trying a smile in hopes it'd help make him at least appear more confident.

Zessica hardened her stare. "And why's that? What makes _you_ different from all of the others who have attempted courting me?"

Going quiet for a moment longer, Mike dared to walk a few steps closer to the enclosure. Removing his hat, he brushed his hair back as he replied, "Prob'ly nothing. But I'd sure be grateful if you'd give me a chance."

She studied the smaller figure intently, her stare still hard. He seemed genuine, but her instincts created false memories of many men from a past, none of them were ever genuine. "Give me a reason why."

A reason. Well, Mike had prepared for this conversation; he did have a reason ready. It was just executing that thought into words that he was having difficulty with. "Like I...like I said, ma'am. I find you interesting. And I'd love nothin' more than to get to know you better. We do only have a month, after all."

Zessica pursed her lips again. "I suppose." She relents slowly, "But if you try anything, I'll break you in half."

Mike smiled wide at her response. It was a yes. She'd technically said yes to him. To them talking. To them...dating? Wasn't that the word Larry called it?

Placing his hat back upon in head, he tipped it down in a small nod to the blonde. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Seeing Ahkmenrah and Sam inseparable for what was the second week that month was just too unbearable to handle.

Chris would see them laugh about a joke he never heard, or share whispered words he'd never get the chance to know. Though he wouldn't admit any of it, this was tearing him up inside. And to have Ashley here pointing it out didn't help at all. She had told him during their weekly lunch meet-up that last Saturday that she had really, _really_ meant to come back to the museum during one of Chris' shifts. But given that finals were coming up in three more weeks a lot of her focus had been going to those instead. However, she did promise that she would show up that week, just to see the new additions to the place.

Of course she'd show up the night he was in his worst mood.

And it wasn't at all her fault; No, it was the High and mighty King Ahkmenrah who was at fault for Chris' sour mood. The night before, the Pharaoh had spent nearly the entire time just talking to Sam. Chris had barely gotten the two of them to their respective exhibits before the sunrise. He had figured that after a close call like that, Ahk would be a little less enthralled with the blonde. And yet, there they both were now: Ahk leaning back against the main lobby's counter, and Sam talking about God knows what tonight. Neither had even acknowledged him when they'd woken up, too interested in each other and whatever stories they were going to share.

Ashley noticed the two right away; she had arrived to the museum with Chris, as she had the first night she had come. And, just like that first night, her eyes were alight with wonder when the museum woke up. But when she went to say hello to Ahk as he made his way down the steps, he only acknowledged her with a tight smile and sharp nod before he disappeared to the Greek Exhibit to retrieve Sam. Since then, Ash's gaze hadn't left the two, and unlike Chris - who was currently sulking as they sat along the small steps of Rexy's stand - she was staring at the couple with more suspicion than anger.

"...You never mentioned Ahk had a thing for blondes, y'know." She quietly commented. She didn't get a verbal reply. Just a huff of breath, most likely one of frustration. Though she still felt the need to add, "They're cute together."

Little did she know that would be the comment that would set Chris off like a firecracker.

"What does he even see in her anyway?" He snarled, crossing his arms angrily. "All he fucking talks about is _her_. We haven't had a single conversation where he doesn't bring her up. _If_ I'm lucky enough to get a moment with him!" Chris clenched his jaw. "I'm sick of it and I'm sick of her!"

Ashley turned to look at Chris with mild surprise. She'd heard Chris snap before. It normally happened whenever he was stressed or in a panic. Or jealous. Cracking a slight grin, she turned her attention back to Ahk and Sam as she quietly spoke, "God, it's like prom all over again."

"What's that supposed to fucking mean?" He hissed, looking back over at her.

"You remember." She replied, "That girl you thought you liked was dancing with another boy. You got all jealous and pissy, and wouldn't speak to her for the entire night. I'm literally having flashbacks to that moment, Chris. You even have that same, stupid little pout on your face."

Chris face flushed and he looked away stubbornly. "'M not pouting."

Ashley's smile widened, and she nudged Chris' arm with her own. "Yeah, you are. 'Cause you don't like that a certain _someone's_ attention isn't on you."

"Why should I care? He can do whatever he damn well pleases seeing as he's a fucking king and all. Pretentious asshole with his crown and cape and shit." He grumbled, flushing deeper.

Ashley looked to Chris at his reply, noticing his flush with a smirk. "Oh.." She hummed, gaze shifting to the Pharaoh. "So it is Ahkmenrah that's got you crushing this hard, huh? Can't say I'm surprised." She teased knowingly.

"Where would you even get that idea?" Chris huffed, glaring at her. "Honestly, Ash, even if I did..." He inhaled slowly, glancing at the King who was leaning in close to the nymph and laughing to whatever she had to say. He felt his chest tighten again and he looked back to his friend, "like him.. it wouldn't even matter."

Ashley's smile faltered to a frown at Chris' words, and she shifted to better face the other. "Chris, What do you mean it wouldn't matter?"

Chris' body slumped a bit, his anger leaving him as he sighed and rubbed his face. "There are like a thousand reasons why it wouldn't work out. One, he's a centuries old corpse. Two, her." Chris glanced over at Sam. "Third, no one is desperate enough to be with me Ash. Especially a Pharaoh." He let out a self-deprecating chuckle and looked down at the ground quietly.

Ashley's frowning expression shifted to one of anger. "Do not talk about yourself like that. You're not allowed. Not while I'm around." She scolded, " _One,_  age is just a number, right? And, I mean, he looks fine. _Two_ , who says he's got a thing for her? I just said they look cute. Doesn't mean they're together."

"They've been hanging out exclusively for the entire time she's been here." He huffed, perching his chin on his hand

"Maybe she's just, I don't know, interesting?" Ashley suggested, watching the couple. "He's probably got a bunch of stories. And, y'know, she's Greek. And a nymph. I know she's gotta have stories to tell."

Chris shrugged, pouting again. "Yeah, sure."

Ashley looked back to Chris, smiling just slightly at his pout. "You know. There _is_ a way to figure out if he actually likes her."

He raised his eyebrow, looking over. "You think so?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking to Ahk once again. "I'm sure we can figure out if he likes Sam or...someone else."

"You don't seriously think he'd like me back." Chris furrowed his brow.

"You never know until you ask." She shot back, looking to him again, "Besides, I'd really hate to see another one of your crushes have nothing come of it. Again."

"Gee, thanks Ash." He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Chris, you never make the first move." She frowned, "I really don't want to see my best friend be unhappy. And you're gonna be around him every night. It'll be torture, Chris."

"Alright, alright." He sighed and turned to face her more. "What do you have in mind then? Because I'm not just gonna march up to him and ask if he likes me."

"Didn't expect that you would." She shook her head. But then she fell quiet, eyes on the two individuals across the room. "..How hard do you think it'd be to make a Pharaoh jealous?" She asked after a moment; a question that made Chris straighten up.

"I've never seen him jealous before." Chris mumbled, looking to Ahk.

Ashley rose to her feet, looking down to Chris, "Well, let's find out."

He stood, feeling a bit uneasy. "What exactly are we gonna do?"

"Could go old school," She suggested.

"Old school..?" He repeated.

Ashley didn't respond right away. She lifted her hands to rest along the sides of Chris' face. She didn't lean forward until she saw Ahkmenrah look their way. And the kiss wasn't long. Very brief, very light. Their lips barely brushed together.

Chris felt his entire face light up and stood their dumbly for couple of moments before catching on and resting his hands hesitantly on her waist, closing his eyes. Ashley was the first to pull away, just as she had been the first to start the kiss. Her hands dropped to Chris' shoulders, gently giving him a pat before mouthing ' _Good luck_ '. She was backing up and turning to where Ahkmenrah still stood, mouth slightly parted, his eyes wide, and brows raised in surprise.

"I'm gonna head home. See you guys later. Was great meeting you, Sam." She called out, giving Chris one last flash of a grin before she was heading out the front of the museum doors.

Chris stood frozen in shock, watching Ashley abandon him in the middle of the lobby. He felt a pair of eyes on him and flushed darker when he looked back over to see the Egyptian's gaze boring into him.

Sam was the first to excuse herself from the room, eyes dancing between the two men as she made her way back to her exhibit.

Neither man made a move after that; Ahk staying near the desk, gripping the edge so hard his knuckles were nearly white. And Chris, still standing by the steps of Rexy's stand, his face beet red.

Chris was the first to move, clearing his throat and adjusting his glasses nervously he made a move to walk past the other man with his eyes fixed on the floor. But, the moment he was near the Pharaoh, Ahk reached a hand out to catch Chris' arm - halting his tracks.

Ahk didn't drop his hand even after Chris turned to face him. "What..." He started, eyes flickering to the doors. "What was that?"

Chris felt his gut clench as his nerves grew at confronting the Egyptian. He shrugged - also taking a glance at the door where Ashley's figure had finally disappeared down the steps. "Just a kiss. Why do you ask?"

Ahk shrugged his shoulders. "You just have never shown interest in her, before." He answered simply. Ahk could feel his chest tighten - Ashley had explicitly said she _wasn't_ interested in Chris. How could she lie to him?

Chris frowned a bit at the other's mood change, glancing at Ahk's grip on his arm. "It's not a big deal. Why would you care anyway? I mean, you got Sam so..." His voice drifted off, shuffling nervously - his heart cracking a bit at the last part.

The King looked up then, confusion washing over his features, "Samantha?" He repeated, "What do you mean? What about her?"

"You two seem pretty close. You're always with her, and you haven't even spoken to me since she's been here." Chris shrugged, looking away.

"Of course I'm around her. We're friends." Ahk replied, his confusion not at all dissipating.

"Yeah, I get that." He sighed. "But, you're with her every night. And." Chris rubbed the back of his head. "It just _sucks,_ because I don't see you very often. When I do, you don't talk or really even look at me."

Ahk released Chris, his expression dropping to one of concern. "I apologize." He frowned, "I never meant to upset you. Last thing I'd want would be to upset you."

Chris shook his head; looking back on it, he felt childish - it was like he was in high school again. "Don't be sorry. I should have said something sooner." He scratched the back of his head, "So...you don't like Sam?"

"Why would I?" He questioned. "Chris, I am friends with her. Nothing more. I've been interested in someone else, anyways. He was here before I had met Samantha."

And with that, Chris' heart tore in half. "O-oh?" Chris pursed his lips, crossing his arms to secure himself. So Ahk was interested in guys all along. _Go figure_ , He thought bitterly.

Nodding a bit, Ahkmenrah shifted where he stood. "I...I kept it quiet. I didn't," He paused before correcting, "I don't know how he feels about it all."

"Well. He's a lucky guy, Ahk." Chris forced a little smile.

Ahkmenrah smiled a bit at the comment, mind briefly wandering from him as he slipped out, "Yes, I suppose you are."

Chris' face heated up and his mouth dropped open a bit in surprise. "Me?"

The Pharaoh didn't seem to realize what he'd said until Chris spoke; then Ahk's expression shifted to one of horror and shock. "Oh," he murmured, taking a hesitant step back, "That...I did not mean to say that."

A small lopsided smile grew on the blond's face. "You actually like me?" He whispered.

Ahkmenrah's face, in response, grew bright with a pink hue, his eyes darting from Chris, to the wall behind him, and then to the floor. "I, well," He stumbled over his words; a bizarre thing to see happen with the Pharaoh. Ahkmenrah had always been one of the calmest of the exhibits in the museum; to see him lose his composure was rare.

Chris let out a soft breathy laugh of relief - although it come out almost as a scoff. "So, you do think I'm charming." He tried teasing, referring back to when they had first met.

The recollection only made the other flush and stutter over his words again. "I, yes. I do. I might. You're just. You're very..."

Chris tried to play off his own nerves with some more teasing. A defense mechanism. "Handsome? Incredible?" He smiled, his cheeks still pink.

However, Ahkmenrah did not hear his tone as teasing. He heard it as mocking. Chris was scorning him. So the Pharaoh's jaw clenched at the words, and though he couldn't rid himself of the blush now very clear along his cheeks, he could blame it on his slowly rising anger.

What came out of his lips wasn't something that expressed that anger, however. Though his tone might suggest it, he replied with a raised voice and a confession, among anything: "Yes! Yes, you are!"

Chris shut his mouth as his blush darkened again. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he wasn't sure what to say and shut it again. Ahkmenrah found him attractive? His chest tightened and he smiled to himself, fixing his glasses nervously.

Chris' lack of words didn't help Ahk's situation, though. He misread the actions, seeing the other's silent response as Chris having absolutely nothing more to say to him. And that hurt. To admit something so dear to his own heart, to the person it involved, and to have them give no response. It hurt more than the young king was expecting.

He didn't wait for the mocking or silence to continue on. He figured he had Chris' reply to the confession already. Ahkmenrah bowed his head, eyes downcast to the floor once more as he quickly mumbled out an apology. Then he was gone - his feet carrying him away from the desk, from the lobby, from Chris and the wandering eyes and ears that hadn't made themselves obviously known; and continued on until he was at the entrance to his own exhibit, letting the Jackals guard his space for the first time since he'd been released. Before, he'd trusted that no one would bring him harm. There was no need for the statues to protect him, back then...

Right. Back then.

* * *

 

Chris furrowed his brows in confusion as the man turned and briskly headed up the stairs. "Ahkmenrah?" He called out though it seemed that the other did not hear him - or chose not to. It suddenly hit him that despite his head being filled with ways to confess to the Pharaoh that he had not actually voiced any of it out loud. With another desperate call after him, Chris began jogging after the Egyptian, though Ahk's pace was unrelenting with Chris barely keeping him in view as he tried to catch up.

Chris skidded around the corner that led to the Ancient Egypt department and watched as the king entered his tomb. He doubled over with his hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath before inhaling deeply to ready himself. He was an idiot when it came to romance and relationships, he knew, but this was an entirely different level of stupidity. Chris bit his lip and ventured closer to the entrance and made a move to enter the tomb when the golden spears came down in front of his face, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

_Christ, it's like my first night all over again_.

He clenched his jaw and approached the giant guards with new found determination. He wasn't about to let the Pharaoh seal himself away - not before he could properly explain himself to him. "Excuse me guys, but I gotta talk to Ahk. So if you don't mind."

Ahkmenrah didn't think much could do more harm to him, right now. And then he heard Chris' voice, and the mixture of sorrow and anger grew in his chest. "Get away!" He snapped, his heels turning to the blond, who was seemingly unwilling to back down from his guards.

Chris flinched at the other's tone, but held firm. "Ahk, please." He pleaded. "You don't understand-"

"Don't!" Ahkmenrah raised his voice - yet another uncommon action to see come from the Egyptian. "Have you come to mock me some more? To take my words and tease them? To...To take my trust and use it against me?"

"W-what..?" He breathed, his eyes widening. "Mock you? Ahk, I was just kidding around! Which, yes, was really fucking stupid of me. But I was nervous. Please. Let me in and explain."

The confession helped ease some of Ahkmenrah's pain, some of his anger. Not all of it. He took a few steps forward, eyes narrowed with suspicion, even as he let the statues ease back. "...Explain."

Chris let out a shaky sigh, thinking of where to really start. "I don't like Ashley. She kissed me thinking it would make you jealous. Now I.." He inhaled slowly to calm himself, his nerves making him a bit jittery. "I was also taken by someone here. The moment I met him I was just in awe of his beauty. And later, I even had the honor of finding out that he was smart and funny. And man I...I was just swept away by this guy." He blushed and tried to quell the butterflies in his stomach with another deep breath he looked the man in the eye, albeit a little shy.

Ahk felt his anger melt away the more Chris spoke but he felt his heart harden a bit at the confession. "This guy?" He repeated, "There's a guy, now?"

"Yeah, there is." Chris breathed out, stepping a bit closer. "And he means a lot to me, y'know?"

In response, Ahk took a small stumbled step back as things began to click in his mind. Chris hesitated before approaching him again. "Ever since I started working here I was doomed." He offered a soft smile.

"Doomed?" Ahk restated, ducking his head a bit, "That's good?"

The blond breathed out a chuckle. "In a way. Couldn't get this guy out of my head. Still can't." Chris took another step closer, his cheeks a light pink. 

Ahk couldn't move if he thought he wanted to. He stayed planted to where he stood, hands shifting to his sides the closer Chris came. He stumbled out a reply, averting his gaze when his eyes momentarily locked with Chris'. "This guy must be very important. To be stuck in your head for so long."

"He is." Chris murmured, reaching up to cup the Pharaoh's cheek gently and tilting it back towards him. Chris could feel his stomach twist with nerves at being in such an intimate moment with the man he had harbored a crush on for several months. "And if he wouldn't mind, I'd like to prove it to him." He whispered.

Ahkmenrah stood in his place in shock, unsure of what to say. "I..." He tried, his mind going blank the moment Chris' hand rested on his cheek - and it felt like his skin was on fire where he touched. And only one thing came to mind at Chris' words - the only thing he wanted to say; "I think he'd like that."

With a slow inhale Chris lifted Ahks chin and leaned down to capture the pharaoh's lips, his other hand lifting to hold the Egyptian's exposed waist. His lips seemed to press against the other's perfectly - as if they were made for each other. A warmth spread through Chris' body as he shifted closer to deepen the kiss.

Ahk moved with the blond - letting his head be tilted the way Chris wanted, letting himself be pulled closer when the other silently requested with a gentle tug from around his waist. He didn't know what to do with his own hands; where he should place them, where Chris would like them to be. So they stayed rested at his sides, both in somewhat of a fist to avoid reaching out. It wasn't until one of Chris' hands moved from it's hold on his waist, and curled around one of Ahk's wrist that the Pharaoh willed his hands to open up and allow Chris to hold onto his hand instead.

Chris ran his thumb across his cheek and slowly pulled away after a few moments, his lips lingering close to the others with his breath ghosting across Ahkmenrah's.

And, _Gods_. Ahk wanted nothing more than to lean forward just the small millimeter forwards to initiate the kiss once more. And he would have done just that - just leaned forward enough to press his lips to Chris' - if just the slightest noise didn't have the other shoving Chris back and taking several steps away, eyes darting towards the entrance of his room at the source.

"I just came to see if you two were all right." Teddy spoke first, a small knowing smirk growing on the figure's lips. "Though, you two seem rather fine now, I assume?"

Chris looked up at the president with a start and felt his cheeks burn up and his lips tingle. "I. Yeah." He licked his lips and looked over at Ahkmenrah. "Right?"

Ahk gave a sharp nod, too embarrassed to trust his voice at the moment. Teddy smiled at the two, though he glanced down the hall briefly before continuing, "Also, Christopher. It's a half hour until dawn. It'd be best to start gathering everyone, yes?"

Chris straightened in surprise and checked his watch. "Shit, you're right." He took a few steps towards the door before turning to the Egyptian and held his hand out. "Join me?"

Ahkmenrah smiled gently at the offer, but when he went to take a step he halted himself. "I should probably stay here." He replied, frowning slightly. "It takes several minutes to get myself ready to get back inside the coffin."

Chris nodded and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He affirmed, and after a moment he dragged his gaze away and left the room. Teddy followed after him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Sam, Emily, and Jessica join the mix! With some research and my knowledge on the Greek language, Tzésika is the closest translation to "Jessica" that we have. However, we figured it'd be easier to write the name out as it's pronounced: Zessika.  
> The song Jess sings is called "Jolly Sailor Bold" from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. It's all over youtube, and it's a beautiful song.  
> We also hope the kiss was also worth the wait! It's not going to be the last one we have planned!  
> We're starting to sneak into 2nd movie territory in a few chapters, now. So, be prepared!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Chris and Ahkmenrah have their talk, Mike and Zess have their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back? Its Magnet! I'm so sorry for such a long and unplanned hiatus. It was all my fault that this fic didn't get updated. It's been a rough couple of months but I'm hoping to get this story back up and running! Frost won't really be writing for Desert Skies anymore, she has lots of her own works that shes working on currently (which you guys should totally check out) but has offered to help whenever I need her guidance, which is always. Again, I'm sorry about the hold up and I hope you guys can be even more patient since I'm gonna try one-man-showing this thing!! I've definitely missed these guys. Thank you and enjoy!!

"Anyone who doubted me owes me ten bucks!" Jed announced, following Octavius as the Roman had begun the journey back to the miniature's room.

Mike stayed back, though, now closer towards the wall to avoid being in the way of the larger exhibits that had gathered to watch the scene between the pharoah and security guard, began to depart.  
Matt smiled at the Sheriff before turning to talk to his friend - finding him not beside him like usual. He stopped and looked around, stepping out of the way as some of the civil war soldiers marched past him. He looked through the legs of the other exhibits that walked by and found Mike towards the wall. Matt carefully made his way through the crowd, raising his eyebrow as he approached the cowboy. "You're not coming back with us?"

Mike turned to face the roman, shaking his head as he tipped his hat back, "Nah, I was just..gonna check on Zess. Haven't seen her all of tonight, y'know?"

Matt's expression softened and an amused smile grew on his face. "Yeah, I'll tell Jedidiah." He affirmed.

"Thanks," the deputy nodded, "I'll be back..tonight. Like always."

Matt nodded. "Good luck." He waved to him before heading off with the others.

Mike watched until the other man was out of his line of sight, before he disappeared behind the corner, and into the exhibit room. Zessica was there, as always, her tail lazily shifting in and out of her pond. Her hair in loose braids once again. As beautiful as ever. "Permission to interrupt your night, Miss?" He spoke up - he was well aware that Zess welcomed his visits. But they played this game every night; it was their 'thing'.

Zess immediately looked over, having been waiting for her little cowboy all night. With a soft smile she hummed in thought playfully. "I suppose.." She cooed softly and absentmindedly played with one of her braids.

"You suppose?" Mike repeated, taking a minute to make his way over to the edge of her enclosure, having to crane his neck a bit to look up and see her properly, "Well, ma'am, I'd be more than grateful to be able to dedicate an hour or two of my night to you."  
The siren smiled and rested her head on her arms to gaze down at him. She felt her heart flutter at the man's offer. "You've kept me waiting." She pointed out and formed a small pout on her lips.

Mike let out an audible 'awe' at her pout, reaching a hand up to her as indication he was prepared to be picked up. He had to give signals to her, now. A couple days ago, she picked him up without warning and then nearly dropped him when he had a mild heart attack in response. "Yeah, I know. I'm real sorry, Zess."

Zess reached her arm down to him and extended her palm, watching him climb onto her hand and moving it carefully to let him step off onto the shore of her exhibit. "You'll have to make it up to me, Mike." She deepened her pout and gave him little puppy eyes for added effect.

"I know, Zessica. You know I will." The cowboy replied, moving to sit down beside her arm. "But, too be fair, I have a good reason for bein' late. Had quite the scene happenin' outside, in the foyer."

She raised her eyebrow and rested her head on her arms again, curiosity evident on her face. She was eager to hear about anything going on in the museum seeing as she was stuck in her pond. "A scene?"

"Quite a scene." He repeated, removing his hat with a exaggerated sigh. "Was like right outta a movie, I swear."

"A...movie?" Her expression becoming confused at the term.

Mike paused at her confusion, but he smiled wide at his realization. "Oh, duh," he murmured, mentally smacking himself, "You've never seen a movie before. Got no idea what I'm talkin' about."

Zess pouted again. "Are you gonna tell me?"

"Tell ya which?" He questioned, then. "The scene, or what a movie is? 'Cause explainin' a movie might take the whole night."

She sighed and contemplated a moment. "What happened tonight as long as you tell me about this 'movie' thing later." Zess murmured sweetly.

"Done and done." Mike nodded, leaning against her arm, "So, y'know Ahkmenrah? The Pharaoh that comes by every night to get Sammy, here?"

She nodded and leaned in, excitedly.

"Well, our night guard's got a thing for 'im." He continued on, lowering his voice unnecessarily "And decided to try and pull a stunt on the guy, an' try and make him jealous."

The mermaid's eyes lit up with curiosity. "What sort of stunt? I mean I could tell the night guard liked him - came in here mopey all the time when he'd take Sam around. I didn't really think he'd do anything about it.." She lowered her voice with Mike's.

Mike snickered at her response because - well, now he could see that happening. "We weren't there to see the stunt. Just heard the two arguin' about it. But whatever he did musta really set Ahk off."

"I wondered if it had anything to do with that girl he keeps bringing." Zess' voice soft as she voiced her thoughts. "For a while I thought they were together but.. it didn't really fit."

"I got no idea. I'll have to clarify with someone who was there before us," Mike shrugged his shoulders, "but, we were there for the huge argument. Chris kept teasin' Ahk when the kid admitted that he had a crush on 'im."

Zess cooed softly. "Poor thing." She shifted closer to Mike. "What happened?"

"Ahk apparently didn't get the hint that it was all just a joke." He frowned, "The guy ran off after raisin' his voice..I've never seen him raise his voice, before."

She mirrored his frown. "Men are idiots, truly."

"Hey!" Mike responded, mocking an expression of hurt.

She giggled softly and smiled. "Except my little cowboy~" She soothed.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, breaking his little facade. "Thank you. But, um, back to the story. Chris ran right off after Ahk. Like some romance cliche, y'know? Jed called it before anyone saw it comin', though. He's got an eye for these situations."

Zess smiled. "So they'll be ok? Dont need the night guard and the pharaoh to come down here moping." She hummed.

"Guess we won't know if they're all good 'till they come back down here." He shrugged, "I mean, if they don't patch things up, things'll be real awkward 'round here."

She frowned in thought but was broken from it when she heard heavy metal clunking coming up the hall. Zess scowled and turned her gaze towards the door as the echoing sound grew louder.

Mike perked up a bit at the noise, following her eyes to the exhibit's opening - though, he was not liking the expression Zess had. "What's wrong?" He questioned, his frown only deepening as

Zess sunk deeper into the water, glaring at the door. "This guy just doesn't take a hint." She hissed under her breath as the metal explorer came into view.

Mike got up onto his feet as Columbus made his way into the room, his eyes immediately landing on Zessica before he went off in the language only the Romans seemed to understand. He paid little to no attention to the miniature who was trying to hold his ground the closer the explorer got; he was putting Zess on edge. Zessica was almost never this tense around the other exhibits who stopped in over the course of the month to greet her or the other visitors.  
The man kept talking with the occasional "amore" and butchered english proclamations of the sirens beauty, even the word "marriage" was tossed around. Zess just sank back as Columbus kept speaking, eyes narrowing.

Mike had kept quiet for the most part while the metal man was speaking - but that was mostly because he was trying to translate what he could. A sentence over "marriage" was blatantly clear to his own ears, however; Columbus was talking about courting Zessica. While she was showing clear distaste in the man. Without a second thought, he blurted out, "Hey! Knock it off! Can't you take a damn hint, tin man?"

Zess blinked and glanced over the miniature in surprise. Columbus however peered down at him with irritation and began yelling at him in his native tongue, gesturing to Zess then back at Mike in anger at being opposed.

Mike was having absolutely none of his tantrum, though. "Buddy, I can't understand one damn thing you're sayin'! Try speakin' English, then I'll argue with ya!" He called back out, trying to raise his voice above the volume of the other man's.

Columbus was never known as someone who took no for an answer - just taking what he wanted. With another bout of angry ranting he reached down smacked him right off the counter of the Greek exhibit.

Of course, it was less than a few feet off the ground. But to Micheal, it was far enough to be damaging; thankfully, he didn't land on his back or head. No, no. Just his leg. And that, of course, ended horribly for the limb. It was a moment that Mike was all but too glad to not be able to feel physical pain, given that he was plastic. But it was still a horrible looking sight - to see his leg bent in such an odd shape.

The room was dead silent for a moment. Then the siren moved. She slowly rose out of the water and snarled before emitting a ear splitting shriek, her arms lashed out and shoved the metal statue right over with immense strength. With a strangled yell Columbus hit the ground hard, frightened by the incessant screaming. But what was even more terrifying was the mermaid beginning to crawl out of her pond, teeth turning sharp and bared in anger as she reached out and took hold of the statue's leg and began dragging him towards her exhibit. Once close enough, Zess grabbed ahold of Columbus' neck and tugged his upper body over the edge of her exhibit and slamming his head under the water with all her might.

Mike lied where he'd fallen, completely frozen. It was a terrifying sight, to see Zessica lose control like this. To see her act like an animal. Like a predator. And he knew that he should be frightened, but he couldn't find it in him to feel anything but worried for the girl he'd fallen for. Mike's heart tightened as he thought of losing her to this creature she'd become and that thought alone had the cowboy trying to stand up. "Zess, hey!" He called up, "Zess, calm down!"

She couldn't hear the miniature's calls, too absorbed in her predatory instinct to kill the being she had in her grip. Her eyes were glazed over and concentrating on the flailing man beneath her. She didn't even hear Chris call out to her in surprise or his footsteps approaching her at a full on sprint. The night guard tried tugging the metal man up all while pushing on the siren's shoulder to try and separate the two. With a feral-like growl, Zess' head snapped in Chris' direction and raised her hand, which now had razor sharp claws due to the monstrous transition, and raked them down the blond's cheek - causing three impressive cuts in the man's skin from his cheek bone down to his jaw line. With a howl of pain Chris shoved the mermaid away with all his might and grabbed Columbus when Zess hit the shore of her exhibit - disoriented.

Mike tried to do more to help, he really did. But with his leg, the most he felt he could do was desperately try to get Zessica's attention - to pull her out of this trace she seemed to be in. So, he was more than thankful when Chris had come to the opening of the exhibit, having heard the terrified yells of Columbus and the screeching of Zessica. But, though he called up to the blond as he ran in, even Chris didn't appear to hear him - everyone too focused on the situation. It made Mike feel even less useful. However, seeing Zessica create such deep wounds against Chris' cheek with only one swipe of her hand had Mike jumping back with some fear. He'd never seen Zess act like this before; it was not like her character at all.

Zess groaned softly as she rubbed her head gingerly and sat up a bit, dazed. She wasn't quite sure what had happened. She could remember the metal creep coming in, declaring his love, and hurting Mike. _Mike_. Her heart clenched as she realized that she had revealed what sirens were truly capable of. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly at the thought of scaring the one person who seemed to truly care about her away.

But Mike was far from afraid. He was filled with more concern than anything; for both Chris and Zessica. But Chris was out for the moment, busy with getting the terrified explorer back to his place, so he turned his attention to Zessica instead, looking up to where she had disappeared from the shore. "Zess?" He called up, trying to push himself up again. "You okay?"

When he got no vocal response, his nerves didn't at all ease. So he tried again, calling, "C'mon, Zess. I'm fine! Honest! I gotta know if you're okay, too."

There was a faint sniffle. "I'm.. I'm fine.. Mike." She called out softly.

"You don't sound fine." He frowned, attempting to limp over to see if he could view her at all.

"I.." Zess held herself tighter, sniffling again. "Please don't come up here.."

Mike's frown widened considerably at her words. "...Don't think I can, right now. My leg's pretty, um, bad." He admitted.

Her eyes widened and she slowly brought herself to peer over the edge. "Did.. I hurt you?"

Mike relaxed immensely at just seeing the woman. But hearing her express her concern just made him tense once more. "Oh..no, no Zess, this wasn't you," he promised, "Was Columbus. He batted me off the side. I guess he didn't take into consideration what the fall could do."

Zessica hesitated before leaning out and picking him up gently and setting him down on the edge of her exhibit, looking about ready to burst into tears.  
Mike thought he could feel his (nonexistent) heart break when he saw Zessica's expression - filled with worry and guilt. Because of a knee-jerk reaction. "Hey.." He spoke softly, resting a hand on her arm, "Listen..wasn't your fault, got it? You probably had no clue what was happening."

She pulled her arm away quickly, biting her lip. "I.. don't want to hurt you Mike.."

"You ain't gonna hurt me, Zess!" He argued, "You've never done it before. This was just a..reaction. Somethin' you couldn't stop. You wouldn't hurt someone on purpose."

Zess rubbed her eyes as tears threatened to spill again, glancing up to watch Chris trying to reasure the metal man, the sight of blood beginning to trail down his cheek made her stomach churn. "I hurt Chris.. I-I didn't mean it.." She whimpered.

"He's gonna understand, Zess, he will." The cowboy continued to insist, "He's a very understanding person, you know that."

Zess curled in on herself, rubbing her eyes more as she began to cry. "I'm sorry Mike.. I'm sorry.. I'm a monster."

"Hey, now," Mike immediately started, his tone switching rapidly to a stern, authoritarian one. "Don't start with that. You ain't a monster. If you're a monster, then, hell, so am I! And so's the rest of th'museum. Would you go 'round callin' everyone a monster, now?"

She looked at him and sniffled pitifully before shaking her head a little. "No.."

"Right, 'cause we aren't. Not one person or thing in this museum is a monster now, you understand? That's includin' you. You ain't a monster, Zess. You're..beautiful. Leave me breathless every night I come see you, swear to God. And funny. Can't count the number of times these past few nights that you've made me laugh so hard my stomach hurts 'cause of it."

Zess smiled softly, rubbing the tears away and moved a bit closer to him. "Even.. even after.. that?" She murmured incredulously.

"Oh, especially after that!" Mike agreed, offering her a smile, "I mean, it was terrifying, don't get me wrong. You were in this completely different headspace that I don't want you to be in again, but, I mean..it was.. kinda hot."

She felt her cheeks heat up a bit at the compliment. "You think so..?" Zess approached him, leaning her head down to his level.

"I do," Mike nodded, hesitating just a bit as he reached out to rest his hand on her arm again.

She let out a soft, breathy laugh of relief and looked at him shyly. "Here.. I.. Let me fix your leg."

"Fix it?" He repeated, glancing down to the crooked limb in question. "I mean, you don't gotta. Just need to bend it back into shape. Chris could do it."

"I think he's a bit busy." She sighed.

With a little sigh, Mike glanced back to the entrance of the exhibit for nodding, "..Yeah, you're right. Go ahead, work your magic, little lady."

Zess smiled a bit at Mike's comment before very carefully straightening the miniatures leg back into place.  
The moment the leg was bent back into place, Mike was standing up on it, swinging it a bit, checking to make sure it all still worked. "Well, look at that! Can't even tell I'd screwed it up!"

Zess giggled softly and sat back a bit to watch him. The ease that had settled over her disappeared as she heard sharp, quick footsteps approach.  
Chris rounded the corner into the room, he had managed to get his cheek to stop bleeding but the long scratches were visibly tinted red with irritation. He marched up to the siren who in turn sunk into her water a bit nervously at his approach.

"I don't know why you think acting like that is fucking ok, Zess, but it's not!" He crossed his arms, irritably.

"Whoa, whoa," Mike spoke up, hands out towards the other man. "Don't start accusing now, Chris. She's got a reason, okay?"

The guard stopped short and looked down at Mike in surprise. "Oh? A reason for trying to drown another exhibit? And doing this?" He gestured to his cheek.

"Yes to the first, and she feels awful about the scratches," Mike nodded, looking back to Zessica for a moment, "Right?"

Zess nodded quickly. Chris looked between the two and sighed. "Alright, I'm listening."

"Well, first things first, Columbus started it," Mike was quick to claim, "Tin man walked in here, interruptin' our hour, goin' off in the gibberish he speaks even though Zess was clearly not amused by him."

"Italian, Mike." Chris sighed again, correcting him.

"'S gibberish to me." The other shrugged his shoulders, before continuing on, "Anyways, Zess got a little pissed after the guy brushed me off. Didn't like the way I was talkin' to him, I s'pose. He didn't really consider what a fall from this height might do to me."

Chris furrowed his brow at that. "Brushed you off? As in you fell off of a table or something?"

"He..brushed me off the table. Like I was dust or somethin'. Kind of offending, honestly."

Chris frowned and rubbed his face tiredly. "I'll have a word with him. Thank you for telling me." He looked at Zess and sighed. "I get it, I do, but lets try to not drown the others, ok?" He sighed and Zess nodded. "I.. I'm really sorry about your face.." She offered and Chris relaxed a bit and held his hand up. "Don't worry about it, you weren't you." Chris sighed before looking down at Mike. "You got 10 minutes till sunrise. Say your goodnights and I'll take you back."

Ten minutes..they could do ten more minutes, yeah. However, as Chris turned to leave the exhibit, Mike quickly went to ask, "Are you gonna get those marks checked at? What'll the others think 'bout it tomorrow night?"

More importantly, what will Chris say if they ask what happened? Will other exhibits start blaming Zessica? God, he hoped not.

"I'll see a doctor about it tonight." He sighed, running fingers through his hair. "I'll.. just say I pissed off one of the lions. They've been pretty territorial lately anyway."

Mike visibly relaxed at the response. Blame the lions..right. Believable. No one would go up to the mammals to try and ask, anyway. No one can understand Columbus. Zess would be safe. "Great..thank you."

Zess watched the night guard go before returning her gaze to her cowboy. "Thank you."

Mike turned his attention to the siren when she spoke, offering her a gentle smile in return. "Ah, don't gotta thank me. I didn't do anythin'."

"You've stood up for me throughout the night.. no one has ever done that." She smiled a bit.

"Well, I'm.." He started, ducking his head when he felt a rush of embarrassment, "That's just..what a gentleman does, right?"

She smiled softly. "Well you're certainly my gentleman."

"Glad you agree, ma'am." He nodded, stepping closer towards her. "So I..suppose I should be heading back now, right?" He guessed, "Don't wanna end up stuck here come dawn."

"Though I wouldn't mind you being here when we awoke, I do believe thats for the best." She sighed.

Mike let out a weak chuckle at her reply, rubbing the back of his head. "I..well, yes, I do agree." he nodded, "But, well, I think it might be a bit strange to find a miniature in the Greek exhibit, to the people who come to the museum during the day."

She nodded and swished her tail a bit. "I suppose you're right."

The cowboy nodded his head, taking a step forward as he added, "So..guess this is goodnight."

"Until tomorrow~" She murmured softly, resting her head on her arms.

"..Right." He nodded, moving to take a step back. Though he stopped himself, pausing as he thought an action over, before straight up asking, "Would it be appropriate to kiss you, right now?"

Zess perked up a bit, her cheeks turning rosy. "Kiss me?" She repeated in surprise. "I.. I'd very much like that.."

"Oh!" Mike responded, surprised - but joyful - at her answer. "I just..wanted to double check. Consent, and all." He weakly explained, but Zess' little grin had the rest of his explanation die on his lips, and instead he moved just enough to be able to press a kiss to the siren's cheek. A light peck, the blonde probably couldn't feel it all too well. But it was still a kiss; still their first kiss.

Zess couldn't stop the grin from spreading, even if she tried. She felt her cheeks warm up and she turned to Mike shyly as he stepped away.  
Mike opened his mouth to speak - what he would've said, he didn't know. But he was interrupted by another visitor.

"Gods, is everyone getting together, tonight?" Sam questioned from the exhibit's entrance, making her way slowly towards her shared enclosure.  
Zess glanced at her friend and simply smiled before turning to face her cowboy. "You should be heading back." She smiled sweetly.

Mike looked to Sam briefly, his attention drawn back to Zessica when she spoke. But he nodded, offering the blonde another wide smile as he stepped closer to the edge of her enclosure, "Right, I..yeah, I probably should be getting back."

Zess offered her palm to him and once he stepped on her hand she lowered him down to the floor carefully.  
As the miniature stumbled over his feet, having to keep glancing back to Zessica as he walked out and back to his own room, Sam climbed her way up into her small forest set-up, watching her friend with a light smirk.

"I thought sirens don't fall in love." She hummed, moving to get into proper position for the sunrise. Zess simply smiled gently as the small figure disappeared from view.

"You'd be wrong, Sam." She swished her tail lazily and settled into her pose with a smitten grin. "You'd be wrong."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Jedidiah win 10 bucks and Chris may or may not be an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Been awhile hasn't it?  
> I'm sorry this chapter took so long! Honestly, it's just been sitting in my computer waiting for a final edit the entire time. ^^"  
> I've been dealing with a lot since the last update and without Frost to get my ass in gear this fic definitely fell to the back burner. I'm going to be honest with you all, as much as I'd love to bring our boys some closure I'm not too sure if this fic will ever be finished. I didn't realize it at the time but this was a huge undertaking that I wasn't quite prepared for.  
> Thank you all so much for reading and the feedback. Each comment makes my entire day!  
> This was my first work and I was so lucky to have been able to share that with such a talented writer and all of you!

Chris had been anxious all evening and the knots in his stomach only seemed to grow tighter with each passing hour that led up to his shift that night. His thoughts had been occupied by the beautiful pharaoh that awaited him in the museum, his mind replaying their kiss over and over. It was like a broken record, the feeling of Ahk's lips against his, making him unable to focus - much to the vexation of Ashley. He  _needed_ to see Ahkmenrah again. To kiss him. It was embedded in him now, a drive. A mission. 

Unfortunately for him, Chris' last lecture (ironically, his Egyptology class) had gone on longer than he had hoped and he had to jog the entire way to work, much to his chagrin. It left him with virtually no time to head up to the pharaohs tomb early like he had wanted.

The museum was already awake and waiting by the time Chris burst through the doors, wheezing as he doubled over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. As he straightend he raised his hand and gingerly scratched at his cheek, a few strips of medical tape holding the wounds together.

When Chris had returned from work with the extremely red and irritated gashes  Ashle y forced him to see the campus nurse  that night. He was told that they would heal up in a couple of weeks and should be lucky he didn't need stitches .

Chris was jolted out of his thoughts when his shoulder was nudged by a large bony nose. He looked up and smiled up at the giant fossil and gave Rexy a light pat against his muzzle, apologizing quietly for being a few minutes late. But their encounter was cut short when the shout of his name resonated through the lobby.

"Christopher!" Teddy called, pulling the other into a tight embrace once he was within arms reach. "You had us worried for a moment, there. We were afraid you weren't coming tonight."

Chris was still trying to regain his breath as he grinned at the President, "Of course not, man! My last class ran a lot later than scheduled. Sorry, 'bout that."

"Oh, no need to apologize to me." Teddy shook his head in response, pulling Chris out of the hug, "I had the feeling you wouldn't  quit so many months into your job, now. It's been far too long for us to have scared you off!" He laughed out - loud and thunderous, as Chris had come to grow use to.

The blond smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Couldn't get rid of me if you tried." He teased before looking around the lobby, where some of the exhibits wandered about as usual. "Did I miss anything?"

"Well, besides Columbus finally going off the rails, no." The older man shook his head, walking with the Chris towards the counter. "He's been going around speaking a mile a minute. I'm sure that even if I could speak the language, I wouldn't even be able to understand him!"

Chris frowned and scratched  at his cheek again. "Yeah. I  should see if I can talk to him." Ahk would understand if he didn't head straight up to him, right?

"The last I saw of him was the entrance to the miniature's room." The other nodded, gesturing down the hall.

Though, before Chris could take two steps forward, Teddy was placing a hand on his arm to stop him - the easy going grin he usually wore now gone and replaced with a stern frown. "How are you r injuries?" He questioned, eyes glancing to the visible cuts on Chris' cheek , "They looked horrendous last night."

Chris snorted softly and looked up at him , smiling at him in reassurance. "Got them checked out, no big deal."

The president was hesitant to just leave it at that, but he didn't want to keep the night guard from his routine any later than he should. He knew that right around now was when Chris should be visiting Ahkmenrah and he was running far behind. So Teddy let him go, giving him a gentle pat against his back before Chris was off down the hall.

Chris hustled towards the miniatures room, hearing the angry italian  far  before he even saw him. The night guard rounded the corner and groaned inwardly as he took in the situation before him. Both the Roman and Western communities had surrounded the metal man, their riotous roars combined with the tiny clangs of swords and guns against Columbus' legs mixed with the furious shouts of the Italian were enough to make Chris' head ache. He ran his fingers under his glasses and rubbed furiously before beginning to search the room for a few specific figures in the massive army that had now begun to wrap rope around Columbus' legs.

Matt was standing with Octavious, Jedidiah, and Mike, all of which were wearing their respective battle armor, atop the bench in the center of the room. He glanced around with a swell of pride at the rest of his men as they rallied against the metal menace. With a glance to his friend, Michael, his pride changed to worry as he took in how tense the deputy was. 

Matt focused back to the battle and raised his spear to signal another attack when a loud,  "HEY!" rattled his ears. With a start everyone  fell silent and  turned to face the night guard who seemed more irritated than anything. "What the  actual  hell, guy s?"

Mike set his jaw tight, his anger not at all diminishing at Chris' appearance.

 Jedidiah was the first to say anything though, greeting Chris with, "Well, look who showed up late to the party!" as a n attempt to defuse the situation.

The humor flew past Micheal, though. " _He_ started it, okay?" The brunet went off, gesturing to an equally pissed Columbus, "He just came bargin' in, screamin' in his gibberish language-"

"Italian." Octavius was quick to correct.

Mike's tone turned bitter, "Whatever! Don't care what he's shoutin' at me, but he's got no right actin' this hostile towards us! We haven't done anything!"

"So you decide to wage war on him? While I'm gone for what? 5 minutes?" Chris raised an eyebrow and walked through the armies that parted as he stepped forward.

Matt turned to face the night guard. " I apolagize but it is n ot really our fault you were late. We simply can't just wait around for you to arrive. We have to protect one another and this...this idiot comes in yelling at us and stomping around. He could hurt us, Chris topher !"

"Honestly, the guy has to weight tons! And he just came marchin' in here with no regards to us! Does n't he know what we are?" Mike went on to further complain.

Chris sighed and set a hand on Columbus shoulder who began talking in italian again. Matt  let out an audible  groan. "He keeps saying that Mike needs to back off from Zess! We tried talking to him but he won't listen." 

Chris frowned at the metal man and sighed. "C'mon man. Make this easy on me. Zess doesn't like the attention you're giving her so you gotta lay off alright? I know you have some problems with the word no, but consent is key bro. "

 Octavious quickly translated, Columbus shooting a glare between the two and snorted with contempt before turning and grumbling as he stalked off, kicking away the small ropes that had drooped to his feet.

Matt let out a long sigh as Columbus stomped off - again, showing little care for the miniatures surrounding his feet. Mike moved to sit down on the edge of th e bench, his head dropping to his hands with some exhaustion. However, Jedidiah refused to let his deputy, his partner, stay that way for too long. He tried  lightening the mood again as he gently nudged Mike's shoulder and teased, "So, tin man's all upset 'cause you took his girl, huh?"

"She ain't _my_ girl, Jed."  Came Mike's mumbled reply, though he did lift his head from where it was hidden.

"Still, gotta admit I'm a bit surprised." The other cowboy continued, taking a place besides Mike, "Have no clue how I didn't notice you two givin' each other the look. Guess you two weren't as obvious as, well, _other_ people." He jabbed a thumb towards Chris who scoffed, his cheeks blooming into a deep scarlet .

Matt smiled and patted his friends back. "To be honest, I think Zess would be a bit upset to hear that she's not yours, Mike." He pushed. "I mean you kissed her right? A bit weird to not be together after something like that, dont you think?" The  R oman glanced up at Chris suspiciously for a moment.

Mike looked up  towards his best friend, "That's..not what I meant. When you say she's _mine_ it kinda sounds like I'm treating her like property. Don't it?"

Matt rose his eyebrows in surprise. "I...yeah I guess you're right ."

"Right," Mike sighed out, his attention moving to Jedidiah when he felt the blond's hand on his shoulder.

"But you two are together, ain't ya?" Jed pressed, smiling wide when Mike gave him a hesitant nod in response. "Well, now, look at that! Mikey's officially got himself a girl!"

Chris smiled in amusement and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You guys sure are cute together, I'll give you that."

Jedidiah soon looked up to Chris, his smile growing just slightly as he replied, "They ain't as cute as you and King Tut, though."

Chris' face lit up in embarrassment, earning knowing glances from the group of miniatures. "Y-you mean Ahk?"

"'Course I mean Ahk! You ain't lookin' at anyone else with heart eyes!" 

Chris adjusted his glasses nervously and opened his mouth to try and think of a defense. But after a moment of drawing a blank his body slumped and he peered down at the men sheepishly. "Is it  _that_ obvious?"

Octavius spoke up before Jedidiah could, this time. "I'm sorry, but, it's almost painfully obvious, yes."

Chris sighed .  "Apparently it is." He bit his lip before kneeling down to get closer to the group. " We also.. kinda. . yknow.. " He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "..kissed." He admitted quiet enough for just them to hear.

Mike shot up like a bullet from where he sat , his former mood seemingly vanishing . "Whoa, whoa, hold up," He started , his handscoming up and waving in front of his face.

His sentence was soon  interrupted by Jedidiah, who repeated, "You kissed?"

"Like, really kissed?" Octavius pushed further.

Chris flushed more as the other Roman piped up as well, "As in, your lips actually touched?"

 With  furrowed brows  a nd a deep breath Chris nodded. " Well..y eah.."

"Wait, wait," Jedidiah spoke again, "Who kissed who? Who started it?"

"I guess it was me. Ahk was still pretty upset after our fight that no doubt you all hear- I'm sorry did I miss something?" Chris stopped when he saw Matts smile turn into an ear splitting grin and turn to Mike knowingly.

Mike, in turn, just shoved the Roman before he heard Jed start teasing, "Looks like someone owes Matthew and I ten bucks!"

Chris furrowed his brows in confusion. "Wait, wait, wait, you were making bets?" He asked incredulously.

"The whole damn museum was makin' bets." Mike grumbled out, "And you just ha d to make the first move, huh? These two aren't gonna let me live it down for weeks, now."

Matt  elbowed his friend , his grin unrelenting as Chris sputtered. "The whole museum?"

"Teddy and Sacajawea called it out, first," Octavius explained, "But, after they'd shown us the obvious, everyone was making bets, yes."

Chris rubbed his face. "Unbelievable."

"Unbelievable? We had to watch as you two tip toed 'round each other. The fact that you two couldn't see the obvious sooner is what's unbelievable." Jedidah accused.

Chris stood with a groan. "Well shit, Jed. Not my damn fault I don't know how to ask an Ancient Pharaoh out." With a sudden realization the blond checked his watch, he was late for Ahk. Like _really_ late. "Fuck, look, I gotta run. You guys have it under control now?"

"Oh, go off and see yer boyfriend," Mike grinned, "We got a whole museum to  talk about this with , now."

Chris rolled his eyes but couldn't shake the heat spreading to his ears. "Remind me to embarrass you in front of Zess later."

"You try and you're dead,  night  guard!"

 

* * *

 

Ahkmenrah let out a soft sigh for the third time that night. He didn't pace, though he wanted nothing more than to do so. He was a Pharaoh. A King. He had a standard to uphold and he needed to stay calm and collected. Even if it was just facing the very person he had fallen for and the fact he had been missing for almost an hour now. Despite his best attempts at keeping his composure, his nerves weren't lost on the two large statues kneeling before him. With one last exhale Ahk rose from where he had been sitting in front of his sarcophagus.

" Perhaps I should I have waited at the door?" He  thought aloud to his two guardians.

Maybe some sort of response would have helped calm him, but the two statues simply remained  frozen in their kneeling positions.  They only shifted  when the sound of rapid footsteps approached. The two jackals assumed defensive positions, rising back to their feet and aiming their spears at the exhibit's opening just as  Chris threw the doors open.

 " Holy shit.. " Chris panted and used his arm s to support himself  on the doorway. After a moment he looked up, his glasses askew and his chest heaving. "H-hey  Ahk." He breathed and stood,  straightening himself out.

The guard s pull ed their weapons back, both slowly returning to their respective places as the Pharaoh stepped forward. "Chris?" He replied, hoping his voice was as steady as he wanted it to be .

Chris smiled shyly and slowly regulated his breath as he approached the other. "Sorry I'm late. My class ran late and Columbus was trying to fight some of the miniatures and on my way here Attilla needed me to-" He slipped into nervous rambling but the closer he got to Ahkmenrah the more visible his wounds were from last night and they did not go unseen.

Ahk came to an immediate halt in front of the night guard as he  was finally able to take in the wounds on Chris' cheek,  interrupting the  ramblings, "Your face.."

Chris stopped talking as Ahk spoke and blinked before remembering the healing pink streaks down his cheek. "Oh, right." He reached up to touch them  carefully . "Had a little run in with the, uh...lions.  Before lock up ." The other exhibits had  believed him last night but he couldn't really carry the same confidence  when lying  to the Pharaoh and it was obvious.  The hesitance in Chris' tone was enough  for Ahk to grow more suspicious than worried. 

"The lions?" He repeated, taking the few steps needed before the blond was within arm's reach. He lifted a hand to brush down the trails the marks  made , his lips pursed into a thin line. "The lions have never attacked any of us before." He mused.

Chris held back a shiver at the man's warm touch, his cheeks flaring up a bit. "Well they've been a bit more territorial lately. Just rubbed them the wrong way, I guess." He murmured, watching Ahk's face , his stomach bursting into butterflies from both the guilt of lying and from being so close to the man he had been dying to see all day.

"More territorial."  Ahk murmured back in reply, the corners of his mouth turning downwards in a frown before he was pulling his hand away. "They didn't hurt you anywhere else, right?"

Chris shook his head, frowning a bit at the loss of the warmth. "No, just...just there."

"Do they still hurt?"

"Yeah a bit." Chris sighed before flashing him a small grin. "But don't worry, they won't ruin my pretty face. 'Sides, I hear scars are rad as hell."

The start of a smile seemed to start pulling at the corners of Ahkmenrah's lips, but it was  slipped away as he dropped his hands back to his sides. "I feel like I should be apologizing." He  murmured as he began to clench his hands, looking off a bit.

"Apologizing?" Chris furrowed his brows. "For what?"

"About last night. . and for doubting you. " The other briefly explained, "I thought you were avoiding me, when I woke up tonight. I was starting to believe that's why you were late."

Chris shook his head frantically . "No ! I would never avoid you, man! I was just running late , I swear ! " He blinked as the Pharaoh's words dawned on him and he peered at the other nervously. " Wait.. you want to apologize for the kiss?"

Ahk shook his head, his own gaze on the floor.  "I want to apologize for making you believe you had to kiss me. It wasn't my intention to admit my feelings last night . And if you felt that you had to initiate the kiss because of that, then I apologize."

Chris furrowed his brows, his nose crinkling up in confusion  before his expression softened and he smiled, stepping closer. "I  _wanted_ to kiss you."

Noting that the other had taken a step closer, Ahk began to wring his hands together nervously. "No..you _th_ _ought_ you wanted to." He weakly corrected.

Chris reached out and took the others hands, his gut twisting with nerves. "No, Ahk. I wanted to." He repeated himself firmly and gently squeezed the other's hands .

Ahk had started pulling away when Chris took a hold of his hands, but he didn't let himself get very far. The other's tone was firm. Reassuring. Honest. He _knew_ . Chris  had actually wanted to kiss him last night  a nd that was enough of a thought to  bring the Pharaoh's gaze back on the blond who was currently giving him a look that made him want to melt.

"I.. I've wanted to kiss you for a while now."  Chris admitted. "I'm just too.. too much of an idiot sometimes." _Try all the time,_ he added mentally.

Ahk had tightened his grip on Chris' hands at his confession, shaking his head furiously as he replied, "Don't call yourself that, you're not an idiot."

Chris looked up in mild surprise. "Well I tried making you jealous and ended up pissing you off. That's something an idiot would do."

"Was it exactly your idea?"  The Pharoah  pressed .

"I, well. No, I guess not."

"Then that's not an idiotic idea you had. Therefore, you aren't an idiot."

Chris shrugged a bit and sighed , deciding to concede before starting another needless argument . "Yeah I guess you're right.."

"You know I'm right."  He corrected, gently - very gently - tugging on the other's hands to try and pull him closer.

Chris allowed himself to be brought closer and adjusted his glasses. "Yeah, you usually are." He chuckled sheepishly.  The two shared a few passing seconds of silence, before Ahkmenrah shyly offered, "You  may kiss me again."

Chris felt his heart flutter and wasted no time, leaning in and capturing the Egyptian's warm lips softly.

To say the kiss was better than the one given to him the night before was an overstatement.  Ahkmenrah smiled into it, holding onto Chris' hands a bit tighter as he let his eyes fall closed to enjoy the moment .

Chris couldn't help but mirror the pharaohs smile as the warmth from their lips spread across his body. It felt like an electric pulse was running through him and god was it intoxicating.

However, Ahk was the first to pull apart - his chest bubbling with a small chuckle that he couldn't keep down for very long.

Chris opened his eyes and blinked. "What's so funny?" He asked suspiciously , poking the other man's side playfully .

"Nothing, it's nothing." Ahk shook his head, calming himself down quickly, "Just. . I'm happy. I don't know why I laughed. I just feel very happy."

"From.. kissing me?"  Chris flushed and licked his lips bashfully .

"Perhaps ?"  He guessed, "Or just you. Maybe it's just you."

Chris tried to stop the heat from creeping to the rest of his face and ears but failed and ducked his head . "C'mon be serious.."

"You think I'm not being serious?"  He questioned, mocking offense.

A small smile grew on the blond's lips. "What if I do n't ?" He answered cheekily.

The other broke into a bright grin as he responded by lifting his hands up to rest on the sides of Chris' face, bringing the blond back down to connect their lips once again .

Chris stumbled a bit into the pharaoh as he was brought back into  the kiss, his body leaning into the other's and bringing his hand up to Ahk's chest. As he pulled away he let out a soft breathy chuckle as well, reaching up to brush his fingers over his own lips.

"Was that serious enough?" Ahk teased him, his smile wide.

 With a nod, Chris realized his hand was still pressed against Ahkmenrah's chest and slowly withdrew it.

Ahk hid his disappointment with a laugh. "..Now, would you like to continue neglecting your job? Or should we allow the museum to fall into chaos?" He smirked teasingly.

"Right!" Chris straightened,  clearing his throat and fixing his uniform. "Yeah, we should go do that."

Ahk's smile didn't falter even slightly, lips still turned up in a wide grin as he gestured to the opening of his exhibit, "Lead the way, Guardian."

 

* * *

 

 Zess fiddled with one of her braids as she sat on her rock, her tail flipping anxiously. "I don't know guys. He looked really angry." She bit her lip as she thought back to when she had attacked Chris. "What if he hates me..?"

"Zess, I'm tellin' ya, he's gonna be fine." Mike reassured from where he sat at the shore of her pond. "I've known the guy longer than you have. He doesn't hold grudges."

"Have you ever left any scars on his face?" She snapped her eyes turning sharp as she looked down at Mike before releasing a shaky sigh and sinking into the water with an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, Mike.."

Mike didn't even flinch at her snap - he knew she didn't mean any of  it . She was afraid and nervous. It was more of a natural reaction, he was sure. "'S alright, Zess."  H e started, before Sam spoke up for the first time that night - jumping down from the edge of the exhibit she had been sitting upon since Zessica first started her worr ied rant.

"Mike has a point," Sam pointed out, dusting  o ff her outfit, "We've never seen Chris be angry since we've arrived. I really doubt he's going to be upset with you."

The siren sank further into the water with a soft whine. "Maybe I should apologize again. It's not like I can really do anything else." She sighed sadly.

"It won't be necessary, I promise." Mike continued to insist.

"But if it makes her feel better, then she can." Sam butted in, giving Mike a stern look.

Zess bit her lip again and looked up as she heard the night guards voice down the hall, talking with someone as they grew closer.

Mike reached out and placed a hand on the siren's arm as her anxiety visibly sky rocketed. "Just breathe darlin'. We gotcha. Don't you worry."

Visiting the Greek exhibit had been Ahkmenrah's idea, considering they had less than a week left at the museum before they would return to the Smithsonian.  It felt like the right thing to do and Ahk felt he should apologize to Samantha, after she had left him and Chris alone in the lobby.

Chris however couldn't help but feel nervous as they entered the room, hoping Zessica wouldn't bring up the fight. But low and behold, luck was not  on his side today.

The moment they entered the room and approached the increasingly  distressed siren she blurted out, "I am _so_ sorry Chris! Really! I didn't mean to, please don't hate me!"

Ahk stopped short of the small group at the woman's apology, confusion washing over his features. "Chris?"  He  look ed to the other, "What's she apologizing for?"

Chris could feel his gut wrench and he hesitated before casting an apologetic glance to Mike and Zess before running his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth and floundered a bit, trying to come up with an excuse when a voice came from behind him, making him jump.

"No one told you ? How interesting.. " A voice hissed out from behind the group. "I'm surprised. Shouldn't a King be told when there's a threat in his kingdom?"

"A threat?" Ahk repeated, narrowing his gaze to Emily as she slithered from her place against the shadowed wall. "What threat?"

"The siren." Emily replied, her tone very calm, though her sly grin gave off a more sinister aura. "She was the one who hurt your precious night guard. The evidence is right on his face." She gestured to the petrified man in question. "Not only that but I was there. I saw it all." Emily continued with a hiss, her eyes narrowing as her grin broadened. " _She_ attacked him while he tried to save another. And who knows? Maybe if her little cowboy wasn't there he would have been next." 

"W-wait, no I- " Zess whimpered out but fell silent as the pharaoh turned towards  her , his expression becoming one of loathing and mistrust

". _.You_?" Ahkmenrah questioned as he rounded on the siren. His entire being turning cold as his gaze pinned her down.  " _You_ were the one who harmed him?"

Chris managed to t ear his gaze from the gorgon. "Ahk.. hold on.. " He warned but his voice fell on deaf ears. 

"I-It was an accident." Zess whispered desperately.

"But _you_ scarred him?" the Pharaoh continued on, voice rising with anger, "You are the one that hurt him? After we allow you into our home? You betray us? You betray the one who protects us?"

To Mike, it was a terrifying sight. The young King looked ready to murder , his fists were clenched to the point of turning white around the knuckles and his eyes seem to flicker with  fury . But just as he took two steps towards the cowering mermaid,  Sam was there, blocking his path .

"Take a very good step back, Ahkmenrah."  S he  commanded, voice  far more  cold than his own had been.

Chris  took advantage of the Pharoah's surprise and reached out to Ahk , taking his arm gently and pulling him back a step or two.

"Sam?" Zess called out, unsure.

Though Ahk had very hesitantly followed Chris' pull, he still didn't remove his gaze from Samantha. Any retort he had died in his throat when Sam stood tall, her shoulders squaring out and fire in her eyes.

" This is not our home . You have no power to try and control or harm us. Do you understand that?"  S he spoke, and Ahkmenrah blinked with some surprise, his  confidence  seeming to shrink under her gaze.

Chris interjected, keeping his voice calm. " Let's all try and chill out, alright? No ones gonna hurt anyone ." He assured the Greek and tugged Ahk's arm again.

 "She already  has ." Ahk grumbled, falling silent when Chris shot him a stern look. "Come on.. we can talk in the hall."

Ahk didn't fight against Chris when he pulled the other out - getting a look of one last ear-splitting grin from Emily before he and Chris disappeared into the hallway.

Chris turned to face him, noting the tension of the man before him and sighed . " Hey.. its okay. Just relax.. "

"Relax?"  T he Pharaoh repeated, disbelief obvious in his tone, "How can I relax? Zessica  attacked you and you act as if you don't care at all!"

"It was an accident." He replied gently. "She wasn't herself."

"She still  hurt you!"  Ahk insisted, "What if she had done more? Maybe she is a threat!"

Chris reached out and took his arms gently. "Listen to me, she is not  some monster that goes around hurting people . It was an accident that I dealt with already, besides, these will heal up eventually. I had them looked at and it's all fine."

Ahkmenrah stared at the blond with some surprise.  " Fine? Those scars were fine ? "

"I.."  He started, " please do not lie to me again. You shouldn't ever be harmed. Not ever."

Chris  nodded,  smi ling shyly as he rubbed his arms reassuringly. " I shouldn't have and I'm sorry. I didn't want to freak you out but I guess that kinda backfired.. it's alright, I promise. I'll be more careful. " Chris hummed and leaned in , kissing his forehead softly.

Ahk felt himself calm down at the other's kiss, his tense muscles loosening and his eyes falling shut . He was right. He was fine, now.

Chris slowly pulled away, rubbing small circles into Ahk's arms.  "See? Everything's okay." He assured.

Ahk nodded slowly to his words,  leaning into the other quietly . But, before he could speak , a voice interrupted their moment.

"Oh, thank the Gods you calmed him down," Sam announced herself  as she entered  from the Greek exhibit's doorway, "I was worried I would have to come yell at him some more."

Chris jumped a bit and looked over. "No no, everything's fine."

"I sure hope so."  S he replied, crossing her arms. "Last thing we need is a fight to break out. Especially if we are to go in a few days."

Chris just shook his head. "Just a bit of a mix up, Sam. It's all cleared up now. "

She hummed at his reply, eyes going to Ahkmenrah, who had been avoiding glancing in her direction. "..You know, for a King you back down very easily." She stated, inciting a small wince from Ahk. "Our Gods never allowed a ruler to be weak. It's interesting, to see someone rule without the use of power and fear.

Chris frowned and he turned towards her now. "He isn't weak." His voice firm and protective. "He is kind and wise and amazing. He doesn't need fear to be a good ruler."

"I meant no offense." S he quickly apologized, "As I said it's just...very strange. To see a ruler  withdraw at the sign of a fight. To avoid argument and war.  To listen to their people. We are not familiar with those ideas in Greece . There's always a war, always conflict with our Gods."

Chris backed down a bit. "So I've heard.."

Ahkmenrah looked up at their exchange, his gaze meeting Sam's as her attention returned to him. "..I want to apologize." She spoke, "For being so protective of Zessica and for  threatening you. You've been nothing but kind to us during our visit."

Ahk reached out to hold onto Chris' hand as he cleared his throat to speak to her, standing in a more formal position. "I apologize, as well. For acting on instinct. I was a bit protective, too."

Chris took his hand and laced their fingers together as Sam nodded. "I'll let Zessica  know that you both do not hold her actions against her. Emily is the one at fault for causing such drama."

Chris nodded and smiled. "Tell her that they'll heal up too, will you?"

"Will do." She replied, matching his smile. And then she was gone, back to her exhibit , leaving the night guard and the Pharoah alone once more.

Ahkmenrah visibly deflated a bit, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I would like to go sit down for awhile. I have found this night to be emotionally draining." 

Chris nodded knowingly and reached over, tucking one of the dark curls that had escaped back underneath the golden crown. "Sure thing. Maybe I could make it up to you before the night's over."

A ghost of a smirk appeared on Ahk's lips. "I'm sure you will."


End file.
